


Say I'm the One You Want (Wuh Uh Oh Uh Uh Oh)

by dizzy, savvymavvy



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 13:20:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 52,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1186868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvymavvy/pseuds/savvymavvy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Glee Live tour. Sexy things happen. Mentions of past Darren/female, brief brief Chris/OMC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Las Vegas**

It is the third night club they've tried on the strip and it takes a little wheedling and cajoling and perhaps a little money changing hands from Mark to the bouncer for him to overlook Chris' age but they are finally in. 

"Yes!" Darren bounces his head to a strong bass beat as lights flash up on the ceiling around them. "Finally, need some liquid libation here." He looks around for the bar and begins to make a beeline to it. 

"It’s only because ickle baby Colfer is just too adorable for words!" Ashley teases, reaching over to pinch Chris' cheeks. His 21st birthday is only a few days away but his youthful look and the little bit of baby fat left in his cheeks had been enough to have two bouncers shaking their head.

"Oh my god, shut up!" Chris' face is bright red and he knows that's only partially because of the pre-game shots they'd done in the car. 

(Not body shots, no matter how much Ashley tried to coerce them all. Everyone was a little bit afraid of what would happen if she started to direct whose mouth got to touch whose body...) 

"So who is getting me a drink?" Chris declares, because he might have gotten in but he doesn't want to risk getting carded at the bar and he has a feeling that with his luck that would happen. 

"Oh I'll get the first one for you, you baby llama," Ashley continues to tease. She heads up to the bar and orders herself a beer and orders a margarita, heavy on the tequila for Chris. Handing it over with a flourish, she smiles at him over the wide rim of the cup. 

Chris stares at it dubiously. "You didn't ask them to put extra in or anything, did you?" 

As a young adult in the world of Hollywood, Chris isn't a stranger to drinking... but he's also not the type to test his tolerance on a daily basis. 

He has a feeling this tour will help him with that, though. It's Las Vegas and the first of many, many cities that they'll be unleashed upon more or less unsupervised. They're allowed the night, as long as they arrive to the facility on time and in shape for rehearsal. 

And Chris knows himself. _In shape_ for rehearsal means no big hangover. No one wants to see him hurl in the middle of Single Ladies.

Ashley gives him her most confusedly innocent look. "What? Why would I do that? Just drink it Colfer, stop being so paranoid." She sips at her own beer, looking around at the group who have spread out. Harry and Darren are knee deep in a mass of bodies, both moving along to the beat, Dianna and Jenna however have commandeered a booth and are holding court with three other men surrounding them. 

Chris looks over in the same direction Ashley's looking in. He only glances past Jenna and Dianna, but his gaze sticks on Darren and Harry. 

His stomach gives a dangerous flip and he's blushing again, but hopefully it's too dark in the club for anyone to even notice. He takes a big drink - bigger than he should. He swallows hard against the urge to gag, and coughs. 

"Shut up," he mumbles, knowing Ashley is laughing at him. 

"It’s okay," she says patting his back. "We'll build up the tolerance." She takes Chris by the arm and drags him over to the booth, sliding them both in alongside the girls. 

*

Darren throws his hands up in the air and wiggles his body to the beat. He's not always the best dancer, definitely nothing close when he's standing next to Harry but he just lets himself move and have fun. 

Even without his dancing skills being top notch, Darren gets noticed, though. 

A guy in his twenties sidles up, a polite distance at first but inching in until the space between them disappears. He assumes Darren notices him and rests his hand on Darren's hip just to see if this might go in the direction that he wants. 

Darren's an equal opportunity dancer and he goes along with the guy. Dancing in closer, Darren moves until they're right up on top of each other and moving along to the beat. He dances two songs with the guy before slipping away from him and to the bar for something to drink. Going home with that guy was never really an option anyways.

Chris is already at the bar, perched on a stool still working on his margarita. He's lost Ashley to a shrimpy little guy that's more amusing than attractive to her, but Chris likes seeing her having fun. 

That's probably going to be the highlight of his evening, though. It's not like he's feeling sorry for himself. It's his own decision. Ashley asked him if he wanted to go to a gay bar, maybe try and find someone... 

And he might, maybe, at some point before the tour is over. At least that's what he tells himself. He's definitely not to the point of admitting that the reason no strings attached sex isn't appealing to him is because he's harboring a tiny little crush on someone else.

"Heeeeey, Chris!" Darren shouts, whiskey in hand as he walks over to him. "You just sitting all here by yourself...?" He looks around for Ashley, usually the one Chris is surgically attached to, but can't find her.

"I'm contemplating," Chris says - which is just the first thing that pops into his head. 

Not as dumb as it could have been, he decides. Sometimes when he's drinking he has a tendency to just blurt things out that he really regrets later. He doesn't even have to be really drunk - it's like his tongue is the first thing the alcohol hits.

Darren cocks his head to the side. "Contemplating?" He repeats. He'll bite. "Whatcha contemplating, Chris?"

"Um." Chris takes another drink to buy him a few seconds. "Airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow."

Darren nods slowly and takes a slow sip of his whiskey. "African or European?"

Chris grins. 

Of _course_ Darren gets it. 

Then he stops grinning and takes another drink, because the more Darren gets the weird quirky jokes Chris makes, the more trouble Chris is in. 

"So what are _you_ doing here?" He asks. "I thought you were dancing?"

"I was. Now I'm here drinking. And talking." He bumps Chris with his shoulder and smiles at him. "Why aren't you drinking? Or dancing?"

"I am!" Chris holds up his half-filled margarita still. "Ashley's trying to inflict tequila upon me. She's a horrible person."

Darren tsks and shakes his head. "What a horrible influence she is on you. And what about you, Christopher? Do you _like_ tequila?"

"...no," Chris admits. "It just gets me drunk fastest. Which is why she got it for me." 

That does make Darren laugh. He shakes his head, grinning as he drinks his whiskey. "Is that so? Good to know Chris. Good to know..." He's making a mental note of it for later when it might be a bit more advantageous.

Chris narrows his eyes. "You are not getting me wasted just so you can video embarrassing things with your phone and put it on the internet."

"I wouldn't put it on the internet!" Darren argues. "Well, right _away_. I mean, a man needs blackmail material..."

Chris puts his drink down firmly. "You just gave me another reason not to finish it."

"Come on, Chris," Darren whines. "I was just teasing. I wasn't gonna seriously videotape you doing crazy drunken shenanigans and sell them to TMZ for a profit."

"That's gross anyway. I don't want anymore." It's true; Chris isn't a fan of forcing himself to do anything he doesn't want to do, and that includes drinking tequila. He pushes it closer to the other side of the bar, knowing the bartender will grab it. He can pretend he finished it when Ashley comes back. 

"Alright, so not a margarita fan, then?" Darren guesses. He signals for the bartender and finishes his own whiskey. "What's your poison then? Or are you willing to let me pick?" He waggles his eyebrows over at Chris just to hear him laugh. 

Chris bites his lip. "You pick," he says, feeling daring. He leans forward against the bar, curious to know what Darren will choose for him. "Anything but tequila."

"Hm..." Darren looks Chris up and down slowly, taking everything in. They _are_ in Vegas after all... 

"Hey bartender?" He asks. "Can you get my friend here a sloe screw up against a wall?" He winks over at Chris after ordering. 

Chris covers his mouth with his hand, afraid his laugh will be too loud. "Do I even want to know what's in that?"

"Eh, some alcohol, some gin, some orange juice... It'll be fun, trust me." He pays for the drinks, taking his own whiskey on the rocks back and handing over the sloe screw to Chris. 

"Bottoms up," he adds cheerfully, clinking their glasses together.

Despite the ridiculous name, it actually isn't bad. "Better than tequila, anyway," Chris says. "So why- oh. Wow. Is that... Mark?" 

Mark, with his hand up some girl's skirt, right there on the middle of the dance floor. 

Darren's eyes widen but he just _laughs_ because she seems to have her hands down his pants and giving as good as she's getting. 

"Well. This is going to make rooming with him tonight awkward."

Chris doesn't even try not to laugh this time. "Oh, man. If it gets too bad, you can come stay with me. I bagged the solo room this time." 

He'd begged and pleaded for that solo room, more like it. He'd wheedled and pointed out that while he was _underage_ it might be best to not be rooming with people that might have alcohol... 

Not that anyone believed it, but there was an odd number of people and he was one of the stars. Sometimes that comes with perks. 

"Ooh look at you. Special Colfer's got himself his own room and minibar," Darren teases him. "No joke though I may be sleeping on your couch. Or bathtub if your room lacks a couch." He rattles the ice cubes in his drink around a bit and takes another long, slow sip. "I have a feeling that’s gonna be going somewhere," Darren comments, nodding at Mark and his new friend. 

Out on the dance floor Mark and his girl are joined by another, a friend of hers apparently as she slings an arm around both of them and begins to kiss the girl with Mark. "Well then."

"You, um." Chris swallows. "You could probably just go join in if you wanted."

"Really? You think?" Darren asks, looking over at Chris. He's not adverse to joining a big group sex orgy but then, he isn't really in the mood. He's all about free spirit and sex positiveness but drunken Vegas hook-ups aren't really his thing either. 

"Nah, I think I would pass on that though. Not really something I feel needed in my life experience,” Darren says, relaxing back against the bar. 

Chris tamps down his urge to respond with the first thought that pops into his head: _Who wouldn't want to fuck you?_

"In that case," he says, holding his drink up. "Welcome to the losers who aren't getting laid tonight club. You bring the current membership total up to two. It would have been three with Ashley, but that guy over there looks like he's making progress on her."

Darren looks over to Ashley who is currently getting along rather well with a guy on the other side of the bar. "Well, surely it can't just be the two of us who aren't out flirting and dancing..." Darren starts but he spots Jenna and Dianna with a group of men and he amends his statement. 

"Alright then, we're just gonna have to find our own I guess."

"Oh, no," Chris says, shaking his head. "Not me. But don't let me stop you from... pursuit. I'll just sit here and enjoy being the last holdout of the losers who aren't getting laid club. Maybe I'll make a t-shirt. Buttons - maybe-" 

Chris forcibly stops himself from rambling.

Darren shakes his head and finishes his drink. "No, no, no," he says quickly. He uses two fingers to tip the drink higher and make Chris finish it before putting it on the counter by his. 

"We're just going to join them in fun." He grabs Chris' hand and drags him out into the crowd of people dancing and moving to the beat. His own body begins to move along with it, spastic movements as he just has fun and relaxes. 

Chris dances for a living, sure, but he's still not a dancer. Especially not without a choreographer, and especially not with someone as attractive as Darren bumping into him with the sway of the crowd. 

But he can't be too nervous because Darren looks ridiculous. 

Darren continues to ham it up just to make Chris laugh harder. Throwing his arms up in the air, he begins to shimmy and shake his ass to the beat, turning to pretend to back it up into Chris. 

"You are an idiot," Chris declares loudly over the music. "This is embarrassing!"

But it's not, not really. It's fun.

"The embarrassing part makes it fun!" He shouts back. "Come on, shake your moneymaker, Chris!" He sings along with the song. 

The alcohol and the laughter help to unwind Chris and before too long, he's dancing right with Darren. 

* 

He isn't sure at what point a new drink appears in his hand, but he's positive Mark is to thank (or blame) since he does see Mark handing Darren a fresh whiskey. It's only when the cool drink hits his mouth that he realizes how thirsty he is and accidentally-on-purpose gulps a little more than he should.

"Woah, slow down, slugger," Mark teases, trying to pull the drink back a bit. "Don't go too fast, it will all go to your head."

"I'm fine," Chris says, but he does go more slowly after that. 

At least he think so, but then the drink is gone and he's feeling a little woozy. 

Darren reaches out and steadies him on his feet, a hand holding onto his arm so he doesn't fall into anyone. "Hey there, you alright?"

"I'm fine," Chris says. "I think I just drank that too fast. I'm going to go sit down." 

He doesn't think he feels that drunk, it's just hard to tell when things are kind of wobbling around him and his stomach feels a little queasy.

"Let me help," Darren insists, following him over to the bar to make sure that Chris makes it back. He steadies Chris as he climbs up onto a barstool, the legs wobbling slightly.

"Hey," Dianna says, on the arm of the guy she'd been dancing with. "Our booth is still over there if you want to go sit somewhere more comfortable than the bar? I'm heading out, but Jenna and Ashley and Mark all left their jackets on it so no one else would steal it."

"Ooh, even better, come on, Colfer, a booth!" Darren grabs his whiskey glass and helps Chris back over to the booth.

Chris is relieved when he slumps down into the seat. It's even a little quieter over here, and the lights don't strobe so much. He gives another surprised but grateful smile when Ashley comes over with a glass of water and then kisses him on the head. "Thanks," he says, but she's already walking away.

"I think she's got someone hooked," Darren explains quietly, nodding to where there is a man waiting to wrap his arms around her. "Gonna go have some fun," he whispers into Chris' ear before laughing quietly.

"Good for her," Chris says, leaning his head against the back of the booth. His eyes shut and he doesn't even realize the warm pressure against his arm is Darren or that when he leaned back he also listed to the side until it's too late and embarrassingly obvious as he rights himself. "Sorry."

Darren just shrugs. "It's no big deal at all man," he assures him. "You can lean if you need to list to one side." He hooks an arm around Chris and pulls him in. They've done a lot scenes together at this point, he's comfortable around Chris.

"I'm fine," Chris mumbles, embarrassed. He crosses his arms over the table. "I'm tired too, you know. I didn't sleep last night." 

Or the night before. He's been so nervous.

"Aw, drinking on no sleep, not always smart move man," Darren points out. He finishes off his own whiskey and leans back into the booth, arms over his chest. "Too excited to sleep though? Cause I hear you on that."

Chris just laughs. "Excited? No. Try terrified." 

He stares down at the table, self-deprecating laughter fading into a frown.

"Terrified? Of the stage?" Darren teases Chris gently. "Come on, I know you've told me you've done theatre before. This is the exact same thing. Just... bigger."

"Community theater with fifty people watching, half of them deaf or asleep," Chris deadpans. "We had some tour dates last year and it was awful. I only get through it by actually pretending I'm Kurt Hummel."

"Nothing wrong with that," Darren says quietly. "If that is how it is easier for you to get through things then... Pretend you're on stage as the magnificent Kurt Hummel. Your debonair lover, Blaine Anderson by your side, of course."

"Lover?" Chris gasps as if he's scandalized. "Don't get ahead of yourself, blazer boy. I have it on good authority Kurt Hummel's chastity belt is in pristine condition."

Darren chuckles darkly. "No doubt despite Blaine's well meaning and gentlemanly attempts otherwise." He leers at Chris, waggling his eyebrows a bit for added effect.

"Please, I think Blaine would try and get Burt's approval before he went to second base," Chris scoffs. "And - god, why are we talking about our characters? I get enough of being Kurt Hummel on set, and - and on stage. I don't need him taking up residence anywhere else in my life." 

He's sobering up, or maybe just past the initial wave of grossness that comes with drinking. Either way, he's definitely feeling more lively.

"I dunno, I think Blaine's got a ... feisty side to him." Darren has his whole background and thoughts on his character, not that the writers ever ask him but that's fine, it's worked out so far. "Maybe he's really naughty deep down, that button down jacket and tie covers up a lot. He did sing about sex toys..."

"And maybe Kurt started looking up double penetration bear porn on the internet after that chat with his dad, who knows?" Chris shrugs. "Does it really matter what we think? The writer's could come along in a week and paint a totally different picture."

"Ooh... Oh look at you." Darren laughs. "Do _you_ look up double penetration bear porn, Chris?"

Chris turns bright red. " _No_ ," he snaps, but he's trying hard not to laugh himself. "I mean. Not _bears_."

"Oh but the double penetration, that part’s okay then." Darren is laughing and he shakes his head. "The things I am learning about you on this trip..." He signals a waitress and orders another whiskey before turning back to Chris. "Okay for real, what do you look for? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"I don't think I need to hear yours," Chris says, immediately. "The less graphic descriptions of boobs and vagina there are in my life, the better off I am."

"Oh Christopher," Darren says with a sad sigh and shake of the head. "How little you know me." The waitress brings him his next whiskey and he takes it gratefully before leaning back and sipping on it.

* 

They don't have that conversation, because Chris chickens out and doesn't pursue it... but there's no silence to worry about. Somehow a couple more hours slip by, with Chris working on a new drink procured for him by Darren and then another after that. 

It's so much later than Chris had planned when they finally stumble back outside. "Share a cab?" He asks, which might be a little dumb, since why wouldn't they? They're going back to the same hotel, after all. But it still feels like something he should ask before assuming.

"Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah," Darren agrees, following Chris into a taxicab as one stops for them. "You don't mind me crashing in your room? I don't wanna cramp your style, man."

Chris hadn't been sure that Darren would even remember that. "Of course not. Do you need to go grab your stuff first?"

"Nah, I'll stumble into the room in the morning. Take blackmail photos then. I just wanna crash somewhere tonight. I may have had a wee bit too much to drink, my good man," he confides quietly to Chris.

"Oh, so that's what it takes to get you drunk?" He taps his finger against his chin. "I'll file that away for future knowledge."

"Almost two hands worth of straight whiskey? Yeah, that'll do it. I’m a tiny man" Darren admits. He flops back into the car, head going back to push against the headrest. "Mm, yeah that bus is gonna be interesting tomorrow..." 

He breaks off with another laugh just thinking about it.

Chris groans. "I just hope everyone showers first." He slumps back down against the seat too, and this time when his body tilts toward Darren he doesn't bother to stop it. "I'm exhausted."

"Fuck, didn't even think of that." Darren groans and lets his head loll to the side and onto Chris' shoulder.

Chris yawns and lets his head rest on top of Darren's. He breathes in and scent trickles through him; smokey from the bar and a little bit like sweat and Darren's shampoo. None of the gel scent he's used to associating Darren with. He nuzzles a little without thinking about it. "So your hair isn't made of plastic after all."

"Hah, no. When it’s not glued down to my scalp it usually has a life of its own that is quite opposite to plastic." He runs a few fingers through it, pushing the curls up higher. It bounces and sproings and he just shakes it out.

It looks fun, so Chris reaches up and does the same thing. The curls are fun to tug but they feel nice, too, and he sinks his fingers in and plays with Darren's hair.

Darren groans and tips his head down to give Chris more access. He loves his hair played with and his inhibitions, and filter, are lowered enough that he doesn't stop his groaning. "Yeah, do that again," he grunts when Chris' fingers tug hard on a curl.

The realization of what he's doing and that Darren _likes_ it makes Chris stop. He immediately feels like he's doing something wrong, but then Darren's head butts up against his fingers and it surprises a laugh out of him. 

It's just harmless, right? Harmless affection. With his straight co-star. Yeah. If it doesn't bother Darren, why should it bother Chris? 

So he starts doing it again, fingers even rubbing against Darren's scalp and massaging in.

" _Ooh **fuck** ,_" he groans lewdly. His cock is beginning to stir slightly in his pants, filling out just slightly until he's only about half hard. Darren likes his hair played with; he likes fingers in his hair and he likes it being tugged and pulled in the middle of sex and that is all he's able to think of with Chris' nimble fingers playing with it.

"Wow," Chris says faintly. "You really like that." 

The alarm klaxons start to sound in his head, but he's saved by the cab pulling up to their hotel. He pays it and tips probably way too nicely, but that's okay.

"Yeah, what can I say? I guess it's just one of those things. Get's me going." Darren stands, adjusting himself slightly before following Chris into the hotel and to the elevator.

Chris pretends not to notice. 

He actually kind of admires how open Darren can be about things like this, but... he also knows that's not him. Not by a long shot. 

They're quiet on the walk up to the room.

Darren jams his hands into his pockets, happy with being quiet after the loud pounding of the bar. "Hey, do you mind if I take a shower...? I just... Really sweaty." He pulls his shirt off his chest, showing how it keeps clinging as if proof.

"Um - sure. Yeah, I mean. Go ahead." Chris lets them into the room, trying hard not to think too much about Darren being in the shower.

"Hey, thanks, man!" Darren claps Chris on the back and stumbles into the shower. He's definitely drunk and he smells like he fell into a brewery. With a bit of luck, he's able to get all the knobs turned the right way, going the right direction and the water actually warm. The shower sobers him up a bit, leaving Darren relaxed and more awake than he had been before. He steps out and towels off before contemplating the clothing situation. The ones he was wearing are still pretty rank and he's not really in the mood to put them back on and sleep in them. "Undies it is," he shrugs, pulling them back on before stepping out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam. 

Chris is in pajamas with his toothbrush and toothpaste in his hand, waiting on the bathroom to be free. It's very good that his toothpaste has a secure cap because he's in serious danger of squeezing the tube tightly enough to cause a cartoon-like scenario when Darren steps out in just his underwear. "I - well. You got comfortable, I see."

"Yeeeaaah," Darren drawls, running a hand through his craze of curls. "I didn't really want to put my clothes back on because they were all... sweaty...? I mean if you have like a spare sleep shirt or pants..."

"I do... not," Chris says, his tongue tripping him up a little. Then he flashes a grin, because he has sobered up a lot but not enough to stop himself from taking a risk. "Guess you'll just have to stay half naked."

Darren chuckles and scratches his chest. "Suits me," he shrugs. Grinning he steps out of the way and walks over to the single bed in the room before jumping on top of it. He lays back, hands behind his head and stretches out, groaning in relief at being able to relax.

The only thing Chris can do to avoid the impending boner situation that would make this nine kinds of awkward is to turn and walk into the bathroom. Even then, it takes washing his face with cold water - twice - before he's halfway certain the problem won't pop back up the second he leaves the bathroom.

Darren is so tired that it doesn't take long before his head rolls to one side. His mouth is slackjaw and his hair is approaching afro levels of curls and he is dead asleep.

Chris is relieved that Darren's asleep, because not only does it mean there's no awkwardness but he also gets the chance to just stare blatantly in a way he has entirely too much pride to do when Darren is awake. 

Then he forces himself to shut it down, and crawls into bed beside Darren. The alcohol and the late hour send him off into a much needed, hard sleep.

*

Sometime during the night Darren wakes up enough to crawl under the covers beside Chris. It's a small bed and it doesn't take long before Darren wraps himself, arms, legs and body around Chris in the night.

Chris wakes not long after that, sweating and overheated. He jerks in the unfamiliar grasp, heart pounding, before he realizes where he is and who exactly is plastered all over him. 

Then he goes dead still and scrunches his eyes shut, because wow. Darren is... 

All over him. Darren awake is a cuddly, bouncy boy. Darren asleep is less bouncy but no less cuddly. He snuffles and burrows his nose further into Chris hair, still fast asleep.

Chris breathes in and out deeply. His body is still tired, and he tries to snuff out the spark of pure awake in his mind. 

Then he feels it, against his hip - Darren, and since Darren isn't wearing anything but underwear, there's no hoping he forgot to take a roll of Mentos out of his pocket. 

Chris bites down so hard on his bottom lip that he's sure there will be imprints of his teeth there tomorrow. _Natural reaction,_ he tells himself. _Doesn't mean anything_. 

(But he still lays awake for almost twenty more minutes before he can get back to sleep.)

*  
 **Anaheim**

Anaheim is a special kind of concert. It's Chris Colfer's birthday and not just any birthday but _21st_ birthday. Darren knows they all have something special planned for him. It’s one thing to get to drink before you're legal because you're on a hit TV show, it's a whole different kind of game when it is actually _legal_ for you to do so. 

Friends in hand, Darren follows along behind Lea and Ashley as they drag Chris into the third bar of the night. Loud music is already playing and people are practically spilling out of the doorway. Darren slings an arm around Dianna's shoulders as they drag Chris to the bar for another round of shots. 

Chris is excited for his birthday. 

He's living his dream life, he's surrounded by friends and family, he's more accepted and successful than he ever in his wildest dreams thought he'd be three years ago. 

He woke up that morning to a phone call from his parents, and his phone has barely stopped ringing and buzzing with texts since then. The tour coordination team had breakfast sent up to his room and lunch had been a loud rowdy affair and he's had happy birthday sung to him countless times. 

Now the concert is over, he's sore and tired and elated and he's going to get legally drunk.

Darren bounces up to the bar, slapping his money down and buying the first round of shots here. Chris is adorable and flushed and well on his way to completely inebriated and Darren _loves_ it. Chris sober is snarky and funny and sassy but Chris drunk is completely inhibition free and just lets whatever is in his mind go. He's flirted with two very attractive older men already and while, yeah okay, Darren didn't really like watching that for his own selfish reasons, he does appreciate his game. 

What Darren doesn't know is that part of the reason Chris has found the nerve to flirt so openly is because Darren is watching in the first place. 

It's fun to see how Darren's eyes keep flitting back over to him. At some point, he's sure Darren will find some girl to dance with or hit on, or one of the guys buying Chris drinks will want something more and Chris will have to politely decline (well... unless the guy is really attractive...) but for now, he's definitely embracing the moment. 

Darren comes back to the group, all already on their way to inebriated and begins to pass the shots out. 

"Body shots!" Lea shouts, stumbling forward on her towering heels. "Chris needs to do body shots!" She insists.

Chris hears that and turns to see his friends gathered around gesturing to him. 

"Sorry," he says to the guy, sliding a hand off of his arm. 

He's cute, but not cute enough. Chris doesn't ask him to join him for the shots, just makes his way to the group alone. 

"Did someone say body shots?" He asks, excited. "I've never done one."

"Well, what was wrong with him? You could have done shots off of him!" Lea insists, looking past Chris to the man he left at the bar. 

"Um, no," Chris says, laughing. "That's - no. I need more alcohol before I'm okay asking strangers if I can lick parts of their body."

He glances over at Darren to see if Darren is listening in. 

He is. 

"Well." Lea looks the stranger up and down again. "He was good looking. And I think he would have said yes," she tries to whisper to Chris but succeeds in just shouting it out in a fake whisper. 

Darren snorts, secretly glad that he won't have to watch Chris sucking on the neck of some random. "Well, we're still stuck at the fact that our young Christopher hasn't done body shots and I think that that is a _crime_." Darren grins evilly and turns back to the bar, grabbing a lime from a shot glass and a salt shaker.

Chris bounces on his feet, cheeks pink and smile wide. "Who am I doing it off of?" He looks at Lea, just - assuming. 

But Lea has other plans. "Oh, no, Colfer. You need a hot guy to pop your body shot cherry. Any volunteers?" 

She looks straight at Darren.

Darren grins widely because yeah, he can get behind that. He hands the limes and salt off to Jenna and begins to unbutton the top of his shirt. If Chris is going to be doing shots off of him, they're gonna do it right. 

"Bring it baby," Darren teases, shucking his shirt off. 

Chris' jaw drops a little but then he takes a breath and nods. His mouth is about to be on Darren's naked chest. He can handle this. Like a grown up. Like... someone that isn't freaking out. He's got this. "Okay then. So what - what do I do?"

Darren grins and lays back on the nearby table, in the background somewhere he can hear Mark cheering Chris on amidst various catcalls. 

"You lean over and lick his chest and then apply the salt so you can lick that after the shot. He has to hold onto the lime too so you can bite into that," Lea instructs. 

Darren looks up at Chris, their eyes connecting and Darren can feel his body grow hotter, his cock growing and thickening in his pants as he just thinks about the soft, pink cupid bow's mouth sucking on him. 

Ashley shows up as if some kind of beacon alerted her. (Or maybe a text message...) She has her phone in hand and looks primed to record. 

Chris shoots her a death glare. "Not on the internet." 

"Colfer, what do you take me for?" She asks. 

"An opportunist," Chris shoots back, then turns to look at Darren. "Now - where, um - where do I lick?"

"Wherever you want," Lea advises, clapping her hands. She gives him a bit of a shove forward and Darren just stretches out longer. He enjoys how Chris' eyes rake over his body and make him lick his lips. He's been sporting a slow burning torch for this guy. It started as really enjoying his company and his snarky comments but over the course of last season it’s become something more. Darren knows Chris likes how he looks but he’s still trying to find out if there is anything else... _there_. 

And frankly Darren is not above using alcoholic beverages to lower inhibitions to start something here. 

Chris zeroes in on the spot he wants to lick and leans over with purpose, dragging his tongue alongside the soft swell of belly near Darren's hip. He can hear gasps and giggles and he knows everyone probably expected him to aim a little higher, but he's not passing this up. 

He sprinkles salt over the spot and then slams the shot glass back, wincing and trying not to gag and then quickly leaning in to capture all the salt on his tongue.

Darren gasps hard and has to focus to keep himself from thrusting and pushing up into Chris. Or from reaching down and grabbing his head in his hands and dragging it to the left just a bit... Or anything that involved more of his lips and tongue on Darren's body. 

"God-- fuck--" Darren groans and stares straight down at Chris' head the second time Chris licks over the salt and skin. It feels good and warm and yeah that is something Darren's thought about before. 

Lea hands him a lime and he pops it in his mouth, biting down hard on the rind with his teeth to keep it in place. He wraps a hand along the back of Chris' neck, waiting until he's finished licking at his hip bones (jesus fucking christ!) to drag him up to Darren's lips. He crushes his mouth to Chris', the lime in between them. 

Chris can feel the pressure of Darren's mouth, though it isn't really a kiss at all. It's Chris that pulls back first, the lime tart and prickling on his tongue. He laughs joyously and glances down at the still glossy-slick stretch of skin on Darren's hip. He did that. Fuck, _yeah_ , he did that. 

Exhilaration prompts his next words: "Your turn now."

Darren growls softly, not caring if anyone else hears him. Darren had no idea how much of a cocktease Chris was before tonight. If asked, he would have said Chris was more shy than anything else but with inhibitions low and filter gone, Chris Colfer seems to delight in teasing any man with a cock and it is driving Darren crazy. 

"Oh no _your_ turn," he growls, standing up off of the table and pushing Chris down onto it. With one hand he pushes Chris' shirt up high on his chest before leaning over and licking over a nipple and salting it. 

"Shot?" He asks and Ashley supplies him, camera-phone still at the ready. He takes it quickly before leaning over and running his tongue up and over Chris' chest, taking his time as he drags it over the salt and the sweat on his body. At the end he sucks, brief but hard, knowing it’s going to leave a mark there. 

Chris already has the lime in his mouth when Darren comes in for it. He meets him halfway, fingers curling around the back of Darren's head and holding him there. The lime slips a little - into Chris' mouth, and then it's lips on lips and Chris pulls back but he doesn't pull back as quickly as he really should have. 

He spits the lime onto the table and yanks his shirt back down, suddenly hyper aware of everyone watching them. 

Some of the others are staring; Ashley just wolf whistles. Darren leans back, staring down at Chris as he wipes his mouth. He got a slight taste of Chris' lips on his and he's itching to reach out and drag Chris back to them. 

"Ooo-kay," Naya starts, stepping up. "How about the rest of us get to play...?" She grabs Mark to do her shot off of, using his neck to lick and keeping things relatively safe. 

Darren breathes heavy and watches Chris as he fidgets nervously, fingers tugging on his shirt. Darren reaches out and grabs his hands, stopping his fingers from jerking on his shirt again. 

"Come on," he says, for lack of anything better to say. "My turn for that dance now." He drags Chris out onto the dance floor and away from their crowd of friends. 

Chris' head is spinning and the shot is hitting him already. He lets Darren lead him away and over to an area where the music pounds a little louder and the lights are a little darker. In an instant Darren is plastered against him and Chris wonders if Darren can feel how fast his heart is pounding. There's no playful fight about the dancing and no jokes this time, they just move together. 

Darren slides his leg in between Chris', giving him something to rub up against himself. He's half hard and grinding it into Chris' thigh and hip. He knows Chris can feel him just like he can feel how interested _Chris_ is in all of this.

Chris can feel Darren, but he isn't having the reaction Darren wants. He even pushes back, needing some distance between them. The chaos of the situation is suddenly suffocating to him and he feels like he can't breathe. There are a million different thoughts in Chris' head and not a single one of them makes sense. This is his birthday and yeah he'd toyed with the idea of getting a little dance floor action, he'd joked about it in front of everyone over lunch, but never did he think it would be Darren-

Did he? 

It's not like he's blind. He knows Darren flirts with him, but Darren flirts with everyone. But Darren doesn't grind against everyone on the dance floor, though, does he? He's wondered a little bit about Darren and Dianna before but he knows that nothing is going on between them right now. He knows this because he's with Darren almost every day. Darren finds reasons to come see him and sits beside him on the bus and he does keep joking about switching sleeping arrangements with anyone that Chris is room buddies with... 

Chris looks at Darren and he sees the intent on Darren's face and he wants to reciprocate, but Chris is-

Well, he's twenty one, but right now he still just feels kind of like a kid. 

He leans in close again and whispers, "What do you want?"

Darren rubs up closer to Chris before he feels him begin to pull away. He wraps his arms around Chris' neck to keep him from leaving or getting too far away. 

"What... do you mean?" Darren asks back. He isn't sure if Chris means right now, tonight, or in general. There are a lot of answers to those questions and he just needs to know which one Chris wants.

Chris is stumped by that, because he's not entirely sure what he's asking, either. "Are you straight?" 

Because he'd assumed - like everyone had assumed. Because Darren's got pictures of a girl with brown hair and bright red lipstick on his phone, because he flirts and hits on and kisses and takes home _girls_. Because he has college conquest stories and because - well, just, because. Because Chris hasn't led this life long enough yet for it to be normal for smart, funny guys that he's attracted to, to also have the potential to be attraction to him. 

Darren just stares back at Chris and answers honestly. "No, I'm not." He knows he sort of plays the passability card sometimes, he can pass and well, he likes girls (they have fun, bouncy parts) but he likes guys too. There is more to his sexuality than just black and white. "I like.... _people_.”

Chris cups Darren's face in both hands and kisses him on the mouth. Darren groans and surges into the kiss. He wraps his hands on either side of Chris' face in response and kisses him back hard. 

One song bleeds into the next and by the time they pull apart for real Chris' mouth feels numb and he's pressed tight to Darren again. 

He wraps his arms tight around Darren's neck and laughs. There's sweat against his lips now and he can feel the throb of Darren's pulse. "Happy birthday to me," he says, looking at Darren and grinning.

Darren grins back hugely and swings Chris around, dipping him. "Happy birthday to you, Big Boy," he teases, grinding his half hard cock into his hip. 

Chris' arms clamp back around Darren's neck and he laughs out of surprise. "Oh my god." He presses his face right back to Darren's neck when he's upright again. "I'm dizzy now."

"Mm, then maybe we should slow it down a bit..." He teases, holding Chris to his body as he moves slowly. 

"I think I might need a drink," Chris says, but his arms don't particularly want to let go. 

"Yeah? Want me to get you one, baby?" Darren leans in and steals another kiss from Chris, feeling drunk on that taste alone. "Mm, yeah, I'll go get you something. Don't let... anyone keep you warm while I'm gone." He winks and pulls back before heading back to the bar for two beers. 

Chris grins at Darren's back as he disappears into the crowd. Darren told him to stay, more or less, and he gets that - but he also sees the line at the bar, and Ashley is still nearby... 

He goes over to her and grabs her arm, bouncing until he has her attention. "Ash. Ashley. _He's not straight_."

Ashley looks at Chris, flushed and sweaty and damn his lips are already bright red. She looks back over to where Darren is grinning hugely, bouncing on the balls of his feet while he waits for a beer. "Yeah no shit, sweetheart," she says with a laugh. 

"Did you know?" Chris demands, feeling betrayed. "Why didn't you tell me! I could've - I mean - all the kissing. All the kissing I could have done. With him. So much kissing."

"I didn't know you didn't know," Ashley admits honestly. "I mean did you _see_ him? He looks at everyone. And I mean everyone. Well, he looks at you." Ashley smirks and elbows him. 

Chris can't really argue that now, though he still doesn't really get it. "Do you think... should I like..." 

"You should hit that like a motherfucking typhoon, baby boy," Ashley says earnestly, eyes wide as she nods at him.

Darren walks up right at the end, handing Chris a beer. "Here you go, your beverage, sir."

"Thanks," Chris says, tipping it up and drinking greedily. "I'm not supposed to mix beer and liquor, though, am I?"

"Liquor before beer and you're in the clear," Ashley assures him, patting his back. "Don't worry. Now, I'm just going to leave you two..." Ashley winks at Chris and slips away, leaving him and Darren alone together. 

Darren grins and clinks his bottle up against Chris'. "Bottoms up, baby. Mine will be."

"Baby?" Chris asks, tipping his bottle up again to take a drink. The beer is ice cold and refreshing. 

He doesn't really even notice Ashley leaving. 

"Well," Darren trails off. He feels a bit cocky, a bit sure in that something is going to happen here. Something good, something he wants more than anything. "I don't see you complaining." He reaches out and snags Chris' jeans and tugs him back in close. 

Chris lets himself be reeled in and then he leans in and says, flirtatiously, "So what did you get me for my birthday?"

"Well, I may have a present for you in my room. Something I found that ... I thought you might like." He grins and moves his hips slowly into Chris', rocking back and forth and drawing him into a slow dance. 

"Who are you rooming with?" Chris asks, sliding his body even closer. "I'm with Harry."

"Cory," Darren says quietly. "But... I think... I can make some room for you." He grins and slides his hands into Chris' back pockets. "Maybe have Cory and Harry room together for tonight...?"

"If they're willing..." Chris knows it'll be a big red blinking arrow to everyone after everything tonight, but right now he just doesn't care. Half of this whole tour group is fucking each other and the ones that aren't are either too old or too married. Even married doesn't count everyone out. 

"You know he won't mind." Darren leans in and gently nips at Chris' earlobe before sucking it into his mouth. He plays with the tip with his tongue, teasing it back and forth before sucking hard on it. 

Chris' eyes go half-shut and his breathing goes a little more shallow. 

He's had sex before, of course. He's fucked a few guys, fooled around with even more... but none of them were quite like this. He's never known any of them for so long beforehand, he's never had such a crush on any of them. (Even Max, poor sweet Max, had been fleeting infatuation that gave way quickly after they spent a little time together.) 

"Okay," Chris says, turning his head sharply to catch Darren's mouth in a kiss. "Then take me to your room and give me my present."

Darren's grin is blinding as he grabs Chris' hand. He quickly chugs down the rest of his beer before tossing the drink into a nearby trash can. 

"Come on, we'll call for one of the cars." Darren grabs his phone to call for one of the hired cars the studio is using to shuttle them around. It doesn't take long for the car to swing around back and for them to sneak out to grab it and then take them to the hotel. 

They slip into the elevator unnoticed and Darren thumbs the floor before he turns and backs Chris up against the wall and begins to kiss him.

Kissing along in the hotel is so different than kissing in a crowded club. There's no music, no noise, no distraction, no one else bumping into him besides Darren. But they can't take this too far here. Chris pushes Darren back, laughing. "Five minutes. We'll be in the room in five minutes. I will _not_ be that cliche."

Darren chuckles low in his chest as he takes a step back. "Alright, you do deserve better than a debauching in an elevator, even if you look so good like that." Darren grabs for Chris' hand and threads their fingers together for the rest of the ride. 

They're actually not interrupted for the ride up to the floor that's blocked off just for cast and crew for the tour. Chris is glad; they might not be making out but they're holding hands and from the way both of them look, he's pretty sure no one would mistake what's going on. 

Darren tugs Chris out of the elevator and down the hall before he realizes he isn't sure which room is Chris'. "Which... One...?" He asks, looking at all the identical doors. 

"This way," Chris laughs, teasing and leading him over to room 659. He pulls a keycard out of his pocket and trembling slightly, pushes it in the keycard lock and opens the door. 

"Thank you, my good sir." Darren bows at the waist to him before turning and walking into the room. He waits for the door to close before he pushes Chris up against it. He doesn't kiss him, not yet, just stays there, both of them sharing a breath. "Still ok?" He asks, wanting to make sure Chris is still there with him. 

Chris looks at Darren so close, just waiting - and then he ducks around Darren to sit primly on the edge of one of the queen beds. "I think you promised me a birthday present?"

Darren turns, staring at Chris as he sits on the bed. "So I did. Well, how about it, Colfer? Which present you want to open first...?" He waggles his eyebrows lewdly at Chris before moving forward towards him. 

Chris looks around, pretending to be confused. "I don't see any packages..." Then he faces dead on and his eyes go wide and pretend-shocked at the bulge in Darren's pants. "Except that one."

Darren chuckles and sashays himself over. "Now you want to unwrap it yourself Chris?" He asks softly, looking down at him. Darren has to take his time and breathe, Chris looks so good down there and Darren just... wants to reach out and touch.

Chris' fingers are only shaking a little as he reaches out and traces the length of Darren's dick in his pants. 

Then he pulls his hand away and scoots up further onto the bed. "I think I want you to come kiss me first."

Darren plants a knee and then begins crawling up the bed towards Chris. "Mm, oh yes," he growls playfully crawling until he's kneeling over Chris. He bends his head and captures Chris' lips, his tongue sliding into his mouth slowly. 

That’s better. Chris sighs into the kiss and smooths his hands down the back of Darren's shirt to grab his ass, wanting his body closer. 

" _Oh_ ," Darren groans, pulling back just enough to be able to see Chris' face better. "Look at you," he groans, grinding his hips down into Chris'. Darren hikes one leg up high on Chris, giving himself more leverage as he moves against Chris. "Fuck yeah--"

Chris grinds up and their hips meet, and fuck he can feel Darren against him, and it's good. He shoves his hands down the back of Darren's jeans and feelings his ass through nothing but thin underwear, squeezing even harder and whimpering.

"Ooh fuck, baby, yeah," Darren grunts. He pushes hard down on Chris, rocking back and forth and then swiveling his hips the other way. "You like that don't you, baby? Yeah, yeah I can feel that, yeah you do. Come on, come on, want to feel you." Darren is so turned on he's just babbling off the top of his head, just saying whatever pops in his mind. 

Which, well, that answers that question - Darren is definitely a dirty talker. Chris has always found it slightly ridiculous in porn and even when one of the other guys he's been with tried it, but right now everything Darren is saying just gets Chris going even more. 

Chris whines and lifts a leg to hook it around Darren's body, heel digging into Darren's ass while he lifts his hips up,up,up to meet every thrust. Their dicks grind together through two layers of denim and it should be muffling the sensation but it doesn't even matter. It's apparently enough for Chris because with in minutes he lets out a surprised shout, heat and sticky warmth spurting in his underwear.

"Oh-- _fuck_ \--" Darren stares down at Chris' face, watching him as he comes. "God-- you’re fucking gorgeous--" Darren tucks his face into Chris neck and be bites down and grinds down, coming hard into his own pants. 

Chris gasps for air and Darren's weight is warm and nice but a little oppressive, too. He pushes until Darren flops over onto his back and oh that's better. But at the same time - not. So he hooks one leg over Darren's and, yeah, okay, this. He likes this. He smiles in a dazed kind of way and shuts his eyes.

"Mm, yeah," Darren breathes, wrapping an arm close around Chris, holding him in. They lay there together not moving until the stickiness begins to get to Darren. "Chris? I just... I need to..." He pulls back enough to tug his pants all the way off and shoving them on the floor. He shucks his shirt off and adds it to the pile. 

"You didn't even get to open your present," Darren says sadly. 

Chris snickers, looking at the way Darren's underwear are plastered to him. "Rewrap it and I'll open it tomorrow."

"I don't plan on rewrapping it with any of this..." He pulls them off before turning over, kneeling over Chris' legs. "Now yours..." 

Darren smirks and reaches up, undoing the belt on Chris' pants and then peeling his jeans open. "Mm, baby you're not much better," he says, looking down at Chris' own come filled boxers. "Want me to give you a hand with those...?"

Chris squirms a little, and then sits up. He's glad they're in _his_ room. He isn't quite sure if he wants the first time Darren sees his cock to be it soft and sticky with drying come. That seems like the opposite of sexy to Chris. "Actually I'm just gonna - I want to go clean up. But can you text Harry and see if he'll stay with Cory? If - if you still wanted to stay here." 

Darren sits back and watches as Chris scurries away into the bathroom. He groans and flops onto the bed, sighing before reaching down to his pants to pull out his phone. He fires off a text to Harry before grabbing his briefs, using them to clean up before tossing them back onto the floor. 

Chris stands in the bathroom, debating putting on pajamas or not. He has no idea if Darren is undressing in the bedroom, but he does know Darren doesn't have clothes here. So he takes a breath, steels his nerves, and walks out naked. 

Darren is laying conveniently covered by the bed but his smile gets wider as he spots Chris. "Hey you," he says softly. "Was gonna ask... if you had an extra pair of pajamas? ... or even just underwear. But uh, I like this look," he says softly, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. 

Chris gets under the covers beside Darren and instead of answering just leans over and kisses him on the mouth. It's slower, none of the urgency of needing to get off, a little sloppy because he's still somewhat drunk, but... happy. 

He pulls back with a soft smack. "I've never had so much fun with a present I haven't even opened yet."

"Just imagine what it will be like when you can actually open it," he teases gently. Darren scooches down a bit in the bed until he can wrap his arms around Chris' neck and slide his body up against his. "Is this... Is this okay?" He checks. Darren is beginning to sober up and the urgency of getting off is behind him. Now he just wants them both to cuddle, keep warm and sleep.

Chris sighs and rests his head on Darren's shoulder. "It's... it's more than okay with me. If it's okay with you." 

Darren smiles and rests his chin on top of Chris' head, holding him in close. "It’s perfect with me," he whispers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Indianapolis**

They try to keep under the radar, but by the time they hit Indianapolis it's almost certain that everyone involved in the tour knows they're sleeping together. It's a little embarrassing but it's also sort of... well, fun. It's thrilling to get those sidelong looks from other people, to see the knowing little grins when Darren walks up to him. 

They're just not great at keeping it a secret. It hasn't even been a week. It's just so hard to hide it when they can't even look at each other without ear to ear smiles. They _want_ to be spending all their time together. They want to sneak off and make out in the back of the bus, they want to sit close together in cars, they want to find ways to rearrange the rooming plan to allow them to share a bed. 

But when anyone asks, they still deny that they're dating. It's not even really a lie. They haven't talked about it yet. Chris knows what he hopes, and what he wants it to be, but he doesn't know what's going on in Darren's head. 

He doesn't think he needs to just yet, though. Not as long as he can still see that Darren obviously wants something. (Wants... him.)

And Darren wants him. Wants to curl up next to him in between shows and to tease on stage and to take him apart with his hands at night.. Darren loves every minute of it. 

Rehearsals are exhausting, but by this point everyone knows their stuff; sound check takes half the time they did to begin with and then everyone is released into the wild (or the well guarded hotel) for dinner. 

Chris heads back up to his room to take a shower and when he comes out he has a text waiting for him on his phone. It's from Darren, of course. He bites his lip and bounces a little, not embarrassed since he's completely alone, and then texts back. He starts to say he'll be downstairs in a few minutes but then thinks again and gives Darren his room number so Darren can come up. _Maybe you can help me get dressed_ , he adds, knowing Darren will like that.

Darren quickly texts him back, _If I'm helping, you're not getting back into clothes_. Excited, Darren hurries over to the elevator, quickly thumbing the up button and jamming the right floor. He hums to himself, bouncing on the balls of his feet as the elevator moves, going far too slow for him. When it dings open Darren walks as quickly as he can to the right room, knocking loudly and quickly. 

Chris answers in his underwear, banking on the fact that it's Darren and not room service or someone else. He grabs Darren by the front of his shirt and pulls him into the room, then presses him against the door until it shuts and kisses him. 

"Oh I like _that,_ " Darren gasps. He melts back against the door and just lets Chris dominate the kiss and push into him. Chris has been growing bolder and more demanding recently and it turns Darren.

With every little thing he does and every little reaction Darren offers up so freely, Chris' confidence is bolstered. There's no acting here; Darren doesn't just want to get in the pants of a famous guy. There's no reason to question motives. 

Chris pulls back and enjoys the dazed look on Darren's face. "Okay, now I really have to get dressed, we're meeting Jenna and Kevin and Ashley for dinner." Darren wasn't specifically invited but Chris doesn't think anyone will be surprised when he shows up with Chris.

Darren groans, though, and reaches out for naked Chris skin but Chris just dances past him. "No, come back, that was good. I liked what we were doing with you and those... tiny brief things." Darrens eyes run down Chris' body, settling on the tight red briefs he's wearing. "Hang on, are those _mine_?"

Chris looks over his shoulder and smirks. "Shouldn't have left them on the bathroom floor yesterday." He faces Darren while he steps into his jeans. 

Darren _growls_ back at Chris, stalking towards him before tackling him onto the bed, the jeans left tangled around his feet. 

"You think you can just say things like that and not have to deal with the consequences?" 

Chris laughs, wrestling but not really trying hard to get Darren off of him. "Consequences?" 

"Mm, such terrible, terrible consequences," Darren assures him. He leans over and presses his lips to Chris' neck and begins to suckle on the skin.

It feels good, but they've already gotten in trouble for this once before. "No hickeys," Chris reminds him "I almost sweated off the makeup and I thought they were going to kill me." Chris actually considers letting Darren go on, but his stomach growls right as Darren is licking down to it. 

Neither of them can keep a straight face. "I'm hungry," Chris admits, struggling to sit up. "But we can get back to this later."

"If you keep wearing my tiny red briefs, you bet we will," Darren agrees. He sighs and climbs up off of Chris, holding out a hand to help him stand. 

"Well then I'll _definitely_ keep wearing them," Chris says, tugging his jeans up properly and buttoning them this time. He grabs a t-shirt, one of his tighter one, and pulls it on. He'll just be stripped down and put into stage clothes in a couple hours but he still wants to look decent for Darren now. He fixes his hair as best he can and then turns around. 

"Looking good, baby," Darren approves. He reaches out and runs his fingers through Chris' hair a bit more, teasing it up even further.

"Perfect." He offers his arm to Chris, grinning widely. 

* 

As predicted, no one is surprised when Chris shows up with Darren in tow, though he does get a little under the table nudge from Ashley. Darren sits down next to Chris in the booth. He scoots in close to make room for anyone else but the others just leave them together. He grabs Chris' hand, holding it casually in his own under the table where no one else can see. 

Chris glances over at him and smiles, squeezing his fingers. "I'm starving," he announces, grabbing a menu with his other hand. "And I want one of everything."

"What, you work up an appetite?" Ashley asks, looking back and forth between them. 

Harry chokes on his water and tries not to stare at them, looking instead out at the other patrons. 

"Yes. At _rehearsal_ ," Chris says, not falling for the bait. He does kick her in the shin, though. "What about you? Are you still recovering from last weekend?"

Ashley smirks back at Chris. "Still sore, have some interesting bruises in interesting areas if you'd like to see," she taunts him, knowing full well he won't want to see any of that. 

Chris shudders visibly. "I love you but no thank you, please keep any areas potentially bruised during sexual escapades well covered, if you will." 

"If you keep yours covered," she replies, looking pointedly at Darren. He has the decency to blush. "Anyways, the waiter swung by before you both got here, she said she'd be back shortly. Other than everything, you know what you want?" 

"Um. Burger, maybe?" He glances over at Darren to check in with him without even realizing he's doing it. 

"The hawaiian one sounded good. Had a pineapple slice on top of it," Darren encourages. "I was also looking at the chicken enchiladas. Something different sounds really good right about now. Give you a bite of the enchilada if I can have some fries?" He offers. 

"Yeah, that sounds good." Chris closes his menu, satisfied. The waitress is back and they place their orders. To Chris' surprise, a long island is placed in front of him. 

"I got your back, boo," Ashley says, winking. "Darren, I didn't know you were coming, or I'd have gotten you something, too." 

"I'm not sure if I should thank you or hit you. I have to go on stage in a couple hours!" Chris laughs but doesn’t send the long island back. 

"Maybe that's the point. You do fun things when you get drunk, Colfer. Like pick up hot guys." Ashley smirks again.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you encouraging him to pick up more hot guys?" Darren asks, looking wounded. "Ashley, I thought we had an understanding!"

Ashley just shrugs. "Maybe I'm just secretly hoping Chris drags you into a threesome and I win the whole betting pool?"

" _More_ hot guys?" Chris glances over, but Kevin and Jenna are lost in their own conversation. "That would imply I've already picked up one."

Darren turns his head to glare at Chris, full on sulking as he crosses his arms fully over his chest and sits back. 

"Oh boo, look what you did." Ashley can't keep from laughing at Darren’s thoroughly wounded face.

Chris pats Darren's arm and leans over to whisper. "I'll split chocolate cake with you if you stop sulking?"

"I dunno, maybe I need to watch my waistline before you get all distracted with _more hot guys_ ," Darren sniffs. He gives Ashley a very hurt look and she just laughs again and rolls her eyes.

"I don't think it was me that had briefs thrown backstage after him last night. Those were not lady cut." Chris snickers. He's just glad they didn't do that on stage because he knows if Darren was assaulted with men's underwear he would not have been able to keep a straight face.

Darren breaks into a huge grin at that. He _liked_ the briefs being thrown at him, not just because he encouraged equal opportunities in gender but because he liked the bitchface Chris had thrown in the brief throwers’ general direction. It was annoyed and possessive and, yeah, Darren liked _that._

"Speaking of which," he says, leaning in closer to Chris. "When are you throwing your briefs at me?" He asks, waggling his eyebrows. 

Chris snorts. "In your _dreams_?"

"Nah, I imagine it will be tonight. In like 4 hours. You'll throw them at me before screaming my name." 

Ashley rolls her eyes and turns to Harry to carry on a separate conversation from Darren and Chris' heavy flirting. She does look up to catch Chris' gaze to wink at him. 

They're really, _really_ bad at hiding that they're sleeping together. But even if Darren wasn't actually saying it, then Chris' blush and unstoppable smile would certainly be enough to give it away. Darren can't help from smiling back. He reaches under the table and snags Chris' hand in his, threading their fingers together and holding it until their food comes and only letting go so they can both eat properly. 

*

Afterwards, Darren follows in step close behind Chris, slipping his hands into his back pockets. They don't have long before they need to be getting onstage but he can't help himself, he just wants to be close to Chris, wrapped up in him and just surrounded by him. He nuzzles into the back of Chris' neck, snuffling there softly. 

Darren's breath and the brush of his lips tickle on Chris' skin. He shies away but turns so that he's facing Darren in his arms. "You're going to get us in trouble, mister."

"Mm, maybe you should open the door then?" Darren suggests, moving in closer. "Get us out of the hallway..."

"Or maybe we should just save it for later, because I like how you look at me when you're hot for it." Chris trails his hand down Darren's chest to rest just above his pants, fingers hooked underneath them. 

"Ooh, do you now?" Darren asks, eyes lighting up. He loves Chris teasing him, loves Chris feeling comfortable enough to tease him like this. 

Chris cups his hand around the back of Darren's neck and draws him in for a short kiss. "I really do." He nips at Darren's bottom lip. "So, later? After the show?"

Post-show adrenaline sex, they've both discovered, is the _absolute best._

Darren groans but kisses Chris back. "I'll be here. You keep those red briefs on." He leans in, one last kiss, before pulling away. "I'll go get ready then. See you tonight, baby." Darren throws a wink at Chris before he turns and leaves. 

* 

After the show, the adrenaline is there but the energy isn't. Chris is limping for a very not sex related reason and he barely even makes it back to the dressing area before he flops down, rubbing his thigh. 

Darren follows after a few minutes later, laughing and shouting after someone. He stops when he sees Chris and smiles--until he sees the look on Chris' face. 

Chris pouts up at him. "My leg hurts. And I'm tired." 

And he messed up Single Ladies a little and he's mad at himself for it but he doesn't want to sound like he's whining so he leaves that part out.

"Aw, baby," Darren says softly. He walks over to the couch that Chris is on and moves his legs slightly so he can settle down on the leather. He pulls Chris' legs back onto his lap and begins to rub them down, trying to help relax those muscles. 

"Help any?" Darren asks hopefully. 

Chris slumps back against the wall and nods, enjoying the massage. He smiles a little for another reason, too. "So. Baby? That a thing we're doing now?"

Darren's cheeks flush red as he blushes and he looks down at Chris' legs. He’s always been a fairly affectionate guy, pet names sort of just happen without him thinking about it sometimes. "Um, do you... not like it? Not really your thing...?"

"I - I like it," Chris says, quietly, still smiling. "And I really like what you're doing with your hands there."

Darren laughs at that. "Yeah I bet you do. You know if we take this back to the hotel my hands can do this to your leg without the pants in between. And I say pants in a very loose sense of the word, leggings are probably more accurate with what you're wearing here." He runs his eyes up and down Chris' legs, enjoying how on display they are in these pants. 

"You don't want to go out with everyone else?" Chris asks. He's already decided it'll be an early night for him, and the idea of Darren staying with him is nice but he hadn't wanted to assume. 

Darren shrugs and smiles softly over at Chris. "Not very fun to go out to the bars if I don't get to have you there with me," he says quietly. 

"Oh. Well. You're disarmingly sweet when you want to be, aren't you?" Chris shifts his feet and tests his still-protesting muscles with a stretch. "Who are you rooming with tonight? Do we need to have a text party to figure out who should move where?"

"Disarmingly sweet? What you don't think I'm always that way?" He asks as Chris gets up, hobbling over to his counter nearby to get the makeup off. And, yeah, I'm rooming with Riker, actually," Darren admits. "What about you?"

"Cory. He's easy. You know he'll just end up in Dianna's or Lea's room anyway. I'll give him my room number and we can take yours?" Chris scrubs his face with one of the makeup removing wipes. It'll do for now, until he can get a real shower. 

"Yeah, yeah I'll send Riker a text, let him know to uh... knock before entering. Or just... not." Darren grins and stands to get his own makeup off. Chris tosses the make-up wipe away and Darren catches his hands stopping him from trying to pull his costume off. 

"Let me," he says softly before beginning to undo the zipper on the back of Chris' shirt. 

With Darren's help Chris steps out of it, sighing as he peels it off of his skin. "Have I mentioned how glad I am that they wash this thing before every concert? I feel disgusting."

"You look amazing in it though." Darren reaches out, his thumb playing with the band of the red briefs. "See you're still wearing these though."

Chris leans back into him and reaches down to cover Darren's hands with his. "Yeah, but I won't be as soon as you get me back to the room."

"Oh _yeah_ " Darren grins hugely before leaning in to suckle softly at the side of Chris' neck. 

"No marks," Chris says, gasping a little. 

The door pushes open and Cory comes in, wide eyed. "Oh, dudes. Sorry." 

"It's okay," Chris laughs. He pulls away from Darren and actually grabs his clothes to get dressed again. "Actually, I wanted to ask you-" 

"Just give me a bed to crash in and it's all cool," Cory says. 

"In that case..." Chris pecks Darren on the cheek. "Give him your room key." 

Darren goes over to his bag, digging his keycard out and handing it over to Chris. He can't help the ridiculously large grin he has on his face or the bounce on the balls of his feet as he watches Chris hand it over with a flourish. It's been a while since he's steadily gotten laid and with Chris it feels... good. 

"Just make sure you can _both_ move tomorrow," Cory adds, pocketing the key and then slipping back out of the dressing room. 

Chris slumps back down and rubs his leg again while he waits on Darren to change out of his own stage costume. They make short work of dropping them off with one of the crew and then head out to where there are cars waiting to take them back to the hotel they're staying at. Tomorrow it's back on the bus, but they'll enjoy the luxury and privacy tonight.

"Come on, want to stretch you out on that bed and take my time tonight," Darren whispers into Chris' ear. There is another couple in the elevator so he can't push up against Chris like he'd like to but he can still tease him. 

Chris just leans into Darren, enjoying being close to him. It's been a while since he's been with anyone he felt this comfortable with. Even the last couple of guys he dated - it just didn't feel like this. Maybe it's because he already knew Darren, or maybe... it's just Darren.

They stumble down the hall to Chris' hotel room, legs and arms tangled together as Darren doesn't want to let Chris pull away from him at all. He reaches into Chris' pants pocket and plucks out the keycard, brandishing it in his fingers. 

"Thanks," Chris says. He has one hand in Darren's back pocket. "Bath first, or food? How hungry are you?"

"Mm, I can wait. Bath first? Then food? Then sex?" Chris lets them into the room, Darren following in behind him. "Nice, hot bath. Maybe even... bubbles?" Darren asks, wiggling his eyebrows at Chris. 

"Whatever makes you happy enough to rub my leg," Chris says. "If that's bubbles, then so be it."

"Just your leg you want rubbed in the bath?" Darren shoots Chris a naughty grin. Shaking his ass, he slips into the bathroom and begins to run the water, looking over the free soaps and shampoos the hotel has laid out for them. He finds a tiny bubbles one and dumps all of it into the tub, letting the scent of lavender smack him in the face as the bubbles begin to froth up. 

"I'll let you rub whatever you want as long as it doesn't involve me moving," Chris says. 

"Come on," Darren says, tugging Chris into the bathroom. "I'll rub everything of yours and let you be lazy tonight." Darren takes his time striping Chris of his clothes, folding them ever so slightly and leaving them on the floor before helping him into the large hotel bathtub. Darren follows suit, doing a much quicker job of undressing for himself before he is sliding into the tub behind Chris. 

Chris knows he's being a little bit whiny and playing it up a little bit too much, but he hasn't really ever had anyone besides his mother pamper him quite like Darren is doing so there's a chance he's taking advantage of it. He sighs as he slides into the warm water, and then even bigger when Darren gets in with him. 

"Hi," Chris says, smiling shyly over at Darren. "This is nice. Thank you."

Darren slides behind Chris and pulls him back to lay on his chest. "Mm, it’s real nice. Much better than an evening at a bar. Again." He nuzzles into Chris' hair, which still has hairspray and gel and everything else the hair department uses to keep it swooshed up through an entire concert. 

"I'll make sure and keep your secret about that," Chris says. "It would ruin your reputation as a twenty-something free spirit ladies man."

"Well, I wouldn't want to ruin my reputation," Darren admits, pushing the bubbles up Chris' chest and just playing with them. "Though really, I think I am much more of a 'twenty-something, free-spirit, ladies and attractive hot dudes man' actually."

"Not according to all the press blurbs," Chris points out. He's not judging Darren at all, just acknowledging the truth. 

"And according to wanting your cock in my ass...?" He asks, voice low and lips right by Chris' ear. "What does that say?"

Chris grins. "Well, that says something completely different, but it's not like everyone can know that." He reaches down and grabs Darren's hand, pulling Darren's arms around him. Chris loves the sex but he's also growing addicted to other things, like just - being held. Being held by _Darren._

Darren lets Chris tug and pull until his arms and legs surround Chris completely. "Mm, but this is good," he sighs happily. 

They relax in the bath until the water begins to change from hot to tepid and their fingers wrinkle. Darren turns the tap on again and using his hands, wets Chris' hair down to get the gunk out from it. 

"I didn't know this bath came with complimentary hair washing, too..." Chris tries not to moan but a little noise escapes anyway. It feels so good.

"You don't want me to take you to bed with all this in your hair. It won't feel good later." He digs his fingers into Chris' scalp, making sure he gets the water through everything. 

"Speaking from experience?" Chris reaches up and back, patting his hand over Darren's hair, sticky now that the warm water has the gel melting from the plasticky hold. "Ew."

"Yeah, actually," Darren admits with a laugh. "I'll need to do mine in a minute as well." He hums and finishes with Chris' hair before turning back to pour some water over his own to get the massive amounts of gel out. 

Chris doesn't really want to move but the water is definitely not as warm now and Darren will need him to move so he can wash himself. He sighs and pushes up out, wincing at his sore leg. He hopes staying off of it for a night will put him back in good shape for dancing Single Ladies again the next night. Their next day off is still a few days away. 

"I'm going to look at the room service menu," Chris says, toweling his hair dry a little and then wrapping the towel around his waist. 

"Sounds good, I'll be right there." Darren hurriedly finishes his own hair, getting the water into it and letting it break up the gel. He scrubs a bit until it’s all out and then jumps out of the bathtub, toweling off and following Chris out into the room. Chris looks so young and soft laying on the bed, naked with his hair drying floppy on his head. Darren takes a moment to just stare and enjoy the view before moving over to him to look at the menu as well. 

"Do I get a cheeseburger or do I get a salad?" Chris chews on his bottom lip as he looks at the menu. "I mean, that Single Ladies outfit isn't exactly forgiving and there is no way I'm hitting the hotel gym, but on the other hand I think I burn like half a million calories a day right now."

"Get the cheeseburger," Darren encourages. "I'll help you lose the calories." He presses a kiss to Chris' cheek, nuzzling against his nose and feeling ridiculously affectionate.

"By helping me eat the cheeseburger?" Chris guesses. He turns his face, a little surprised to see Darren's so close to his, but he takes advantage of it by kissing him. "Hi."

"Well, that may be part of it," Darren admits. "Hi," he responds, kissing Chris back. He pushes slightly until Chris rolls onto his back and Darren can climb on top of him. 

"Fooood," Chris whines, but he isn't exactly pushing Darren away, either. "And Diet Coke. Would they just bring me up a six pack? Hey, can I put that in my rider? Do we get riders for the hotel rooms?"

Darren rolls off of Chris and just laughs. "I have no idea. You can try. If I didn't know better, I'd assume that Diet Coke was your lifeblood," he admits fondly. He sits up on his side, resting his cheek on his fist as he watches Chris scramble to the phone. 

"I want... some buffalo wings. And a large slice of cheesecake," he adds to Chris' order.

Chris places the order - cheeseburger, buffalo wings, cheesecake, and then as a last minute addition because it catches his eye on the menu, an order of nachos. And a six pack of Diet Coke, because they are surprisingly accommodating. Or maybe it's not that surprising. They do know who he is, with the Glee crew having an entire floor to themselves. 

"Power going to your head?" Darren teases, leaning over and nibbling on Chris' shoulder. "Maybe we should get dressed. Just a bit. Or maybe... We should just answer the door like this. Do you think that would be fun?"

"Or! _You_ should just put on clothes and answer the door. While I stay here. In bed." Chris gives Darren his best sad Bambi eyes look. 

"In bed? And naked?" Darren gasps, scandalized. He pushes Chris back onto the bed, tries to ignore the bambi eyes and instead gnaws playfully on his neck. 

"And waiting for my big strong man to bring me some food that he's bravely hunted and gathered..." Chris is fairly sure that exhaustion and hunger are making him loopy at this point. Or maybe it's something else that leaves him feeling giddy and unable to wipe the smile off of his face. 

Darren laughs. He smiles down at Chris before grunting. "Unf. Me big, strong man. Me bring back food." He grunts again for good measure. 

"As long as you don't paint the cave walls on your way out." Chris pushes playfully at Darren's chest. 

"A dedication to your beauty that they will find centuries from now. ... and be unable to understand what it was." 

Darren rolls off of Chris and reaches into Chris' suitcase, pulling out a pair of boxer-briefs and putting them on. "Stealing your undies," he warns, waggling his butt back at Chris. They're a bit tight and snug on his ass but not too bad. He grins back at Chris when there is a knock on the door. Darren makes his way over to it, not bothering at all to put on any more clothes and opens the door wide. 

They definitely look better on Darren, Chris thinks. He enjoys the view as Darren walks over and gets their food, even more so because he gets to stay tucked up in bed while he watches it. His stomach growls as soon as the smell of nachos and hamburger and wings hits his nose.

Darren helps bring the plates in, placing them in Chris' lap and then around him before setting the six-pack of diet coke on the nightstand right by him. "Ta da!"

Chris grabs ones of the Diet Cokes, kissing the ice-cold surface of the can before cracking it open and drinking half of it in one go. "That's amazing," he moans when he's done, licking a fizzy droplet from his bottom lip. "The minute they legalize man and soft drink unions, I'm marrying Diet Coke."

"You, my friend, have an addiction," Darren points out, pouring some water for himself (lest he use any of Chris' prized Diet Coke) before settling down with his plate of wings. 

Chris looks back and forth between Darren's water and his five remaining sodas. He gives it serious thought before finally saying, "You can have one. If you want."

Darren laughs. "Wow. You must really like me." He munches into a wing, brandishing it about as he gestures to Chris' stash of Cokes. "But I'm good. I'll drink my water and let you get your Diet Coke levels back up to normal."

Chris is relieved, but he feels better for offering. He waits until he's had his first bite of cheeseburger and wiped his mouth and saying, "I do, though. I mean - like you." 

Darren looks to the side at Chris and grins. "Yeah? Well. I like you too," he adds, bumping their shoulders together. 

They fall silent, eating quickly as they've both worked up enormous appetites performing. Darren finishes with his plate of wings by the time Chris has begun working on his nachos, quickly demolishing those as well. "Damn, growing boy I see."

"I got these for both of us," Chris says, though he realizes with some guilt that he has actually eaten almost half of them. "I am, though - I mean. Taller than you now." 

Chris smirks over at Darren. 

"I mean only just _barely_ ," Darren adds, trying so very hard not to huff and sulk. He's noticed the slight height difference. When they first started filming together they were the same height, maybe Darren was a bit taller but now, not so much. He's going to have to start requiring heels in his shoes like Robert Downey Jr. 

"But." Chris polishes off another nacho loaded with cheese and bacon. "I'm still growing, remember?"

"So what you're saying is you're gonna be an even _bigger_ boy, huh?" Darren grabs for the cheesecake plate and takes a bite. If Chris is going to eat all the nachos then Darren is debating eating all the cheesecake.

"Think you can handle me if I get any bigger?" Chris finishes off the Diet Coke and opens up a second one. 

"Oh, I'll be able to handle you alright," Darren assures him. He licks his lips and his eyes flicker to Chris' crotch where he's already a fairly big boy. 

Chris debates just how ridiculous he'll sound saying this and then just decides to blurt it out. "I'm pretty sure my- I mean - _it_ is still growing. I mean, at least - it has. Like. A little bit. Recently."

"Growing like... It's getting _bigger_?" Darren asks, eyes widening. He flicks his gaze down to Chris' lap, as if he could physically see the growth now. "Do... You think it's still...?" He asks a bit breathlessly. Never would Darren have said he was a size guy. He was never overly concerned about breast size, always happy with what he had and enjoying it no matter what. But somehow, the idea of Chris and his cock and how big it already is and growing bigger.... He's aware he may have run into size queen territory.

"I mean I don't measure it-" Chris has totally measured it. "-but I think when I got, you know, taller? Just a little bit, but, yeah." Chris likes the curious look on Darren's face. 

"I googled it," Chris adds. "And it's just part of puberty. Which can still happen in your twenties. Obviously."

"Mm oh baby," Darren purrs, crawling over to him. "'S hot," he says. He moves their plates out of the way and wraps arms around Chris' neck and begins to grind up against him. "Maybe I'll keep an eye on it for you?"

There's cheesecake left and Chris kind of wants it but on the other hand, there's Darren. The cheesecake will still be good later, anyway. He presses his face to Darren's neck and starts to kiss it, one hand dropping down to Darren's ass to encourage the grinding.

"Mmm, yeah," he groans. He can feel Chris, barely out of his teens, already responding to the grinding and getting hard against him.

"So much better than going out," Chris whispers, kissing Darren's jaw. 

"Mm, oh yeah." Darren begins to rock against Chris with intent, swiveling his hips and pressing down on the ridge in his own boxer briefs. 

"C'mere," Chris says, wanting Darren on top of him completely. He loves how it feels to be weighed down by a heavy, male body. 

Darren goes happily where Chris pulls him, laying out fully on top of him. "What... What do you want?" He pants, nuzzling into the crook behind Chris' ear. He wants to make Chris feel good; they're still learning each others bodies, preferences and Darren wants to know what Chris wants. 

"I want..." Chris enjoys stroking his hands over the length of Darren's back, up and down the soft warm skin. His voice drops with every word he whispers. "You... to.... give me that massage you promised."

Darren pulls back, surprised but laughs. "Yeah, alright." He climbs up off Chris' lap and gestures to the bed. "Go ahead and lay on down on the bed then."

"Am I taking advantage?" Chris asks. He settles on his stomach, on top of the covers. "I'll make it up to you with a blowjob."

"It's only advantage when I don't want to," Darren assures him, kissing the back of his neck. He settles onto Chris' calves and begins with his thighs, rubbing and stroking them and digging his thumbs in to massage them. 

Chris gasps when Darren's fingers dig into the sorest spot. "Oh... ow. But good ow." 

"That right there...?" He digs his thumbs in again and rubs in slow circles. He can feel a knot under the skin working out slowly as he massages it. 

There's a whimper this time and Chris presses his face into the pillow to try and muffle it. "Yeah. Fuck."

Darren bites down on his bottom lip as he watches Chris writhe and wriggle and squirm on the bedsheets. His legs spread wide, giving Darren more room to massage but it also leaves him with a fantastic view. 

He swallows and tries to focus on anything but the soft, dark pucker he can see just in between Chris' two cheeks. 

Darren's hands on him can reduce Chris to putty. Most of him - except that one part that Darren's hands have completely the opposite effect on. Chris is trying not to just grind into the mattress but things are getting uncomfortable. After a few minutes he decides he's had enough of being proper and reaches down to adjust himself.

Darren notices and grins. He keeps massaging Chris' thighs, really working his thumbs into the muscle as his hands make their way up his inner thighs. He waits, taking his time and letting Chris become accustomed to his hands moving no higher, not trying to do more before he leans in and just presses the tip of his tongue to Chris' rim. 

Chris jerks - not really pushing into it but certainly not away from it either. "Ohmygod, what--" He realizes what Darren is doing, of course, he's just... he's never exactly had that done before. 

Darren has never done this either. He's seen it in porn before but never really tried it. His thumbs get into the curve under Chris' cheeks and spread them apart, opening him up more to Darren's mouth. 

"Is... is this okay?" Darren asks, not sure if perhaps he is going too far with this or not. He just saw and his mouth _wanted._

"Um, if you - if you don't think it's gross or anything, which I, I guess obviously you don't, but - um. I've just never... but. That felt good..." Chris blushes at how much he's stumbling over his words. "I think it felt good at least. Kind of... quick." 

"Maybe we should... check..." He starts and leans in, swiping his tongue over the hole once more. He uses the tip of his tongue to play against the rim. Experimentally he dips it in, just briefly, to see what Chris thinks. 

"Oh, god, it's wet - and warm. Which makes sense. I mean. Tongue." His hips start to shift back and forth a little. "That's so weird. It's like - oh, god. I can feel your tongue."

"... good weird?" Darren checks. He moves his hands slightly until his thumbs slide in between Chris' cheeks and he can use them to help hold him open. 

"I think so." It's not the kind of good that Chris could get off from, but it's pleasant and just knowing what Darren is doing... that is hot. He moans a little and rubs his dick on the blanket under him again.

Darren likes watching Chris grind into the fluffy blankets. He runs a thumb over Chris' hole, watching as it clenches and then loosens in front of him. "Fuck." Leaning in, Darren actually spears Chris with his tongue this time, thrusting it in as deep as he can get his tongue and then doing it again and again, fucking him with it. 

Chris is breathing hard now, hot all over and whining a little. He pushes back against Darren's face experimentally and he's so turned on by the sound Darren makes.

Darren can't describe what it is about this that gets him so... into this. He pushes at Chris' ass, opening him up wider as he presses his face in closer. His tongue slides just a bit deeper and he moans around Chris. There are slick, sloppy, slurping sounds as he pulls back and continues to tongue him open. It sounds filthy and pornographic and Darren loves every minute of it. 

Chris reaches back with one hand and grabs Darren's shoulder after minutes. "That's - it feels good, but - I need more." 

He needs to come and that's not enough to get him off, not by itself. 

"Yeah... yeah, what do you need baby?" Darren asks. He runs his tongue along the outside of Chris' hole before tracing over it with his finger. He only pushes in just a bit, just the tip of his finger and just that is enough. Chris pulses hot and tight around his finger and just the thought of more... Darren groans and falls back in, tongue working at his rim with his finger wiggling. 

Chris pushes his face harder against the pillow. He's never done this before, and he isn't sure how to say that to Darren or if he even wants to. He doesn't want Darren to stop. 

Darren's tongue keeps flicking in and out, in and out. He curls his finger, stretching Chris slightly so he can get his finger in to the knuckle. He pushes again, rubbing the pad of his finger along Chris' inner walls when he feels Chris jerk and howl underneath him. 

"That, that, do that-" Chris mumbles, turning his face against his arm now and biting down. "That felt so good, do that again."

Darren is concerned he hurt Chris but he's just begging for it again so Darren looks back at Chris and moves his finger again. He rubs back over the spot and watches in awe as Chris' body jerks again and he grinds back into him. 

"Oh god." Darren leans back in again, pushing his tongue in and rubbing over that spot again and again with his finger. 

Chris shoves a hand down between his cock and the bed. It barely takes three strokes before he's coming, trying to catch it with his fist around the head of the cock. It hits him so hard he feels shaky with it, and Darren's finger still in his ass pressing into that throbbing spot just seems to draw it out forever. "Can you - that's too much now-"

"Yeah, yeah." Darren pulls his finger back out and away. "You okay?" He asks, running hands up his thighs to his back. 

"Besides not being able to feel my body, sure." Chris manages to roll over onto his back and grab the towel he'd worn out of the bathroom earlier to wipe his hand off. He winces as he reaches down and swipes over his cock, too, where come was smeared around the head. "Um. Wow. Hi. I'm... naked in front of you. And your tongue was just in my... yeah."

"Yeah," Darren agrees. He just stares down at Chris, tongue flicking out to run over his lips. Reaching down, he adjusts himself in the underwear he's wearing. A wet spot has already formed right by the tip of his dick. 

"I'm feeling kind of exposed here," Chris finally says. He can't take his eyes off Darren's crotch, even though he knows staring is rude. "Do you want to maybe - join me? In this... nudity?"

Darren sits up on his knees over Chris. He watches him, eyes locked with Chris' as he hooks his thumbs in the waistband of the boxer briefs and begins to pull down. He's not putting on a show, but he does take his time, pushing them down his legs to his knees. 

He realizes there is no where else to go with this and has to awkwardly roll off of Chris to kick the underwear to the ground. "Well. That didn't go quite as planned," he admits, looking over at Chris. 

"You're so hard," Chris blurts out. "I want to make you come." 

He's made Darren come already, of course, but not like this. Grinding in their underwear isn't really the same at all as actually having his hand on Darren's dick.

"Yeah?" Darren's cock begins to drool onto his stomach, jerking a bit as he thinks about Chris. "Want you to touch me. Want you to make me come Chris." He reaches over and pulls Chris in to him, kissing him and slipping his tongue in. 

Chris has done this before, a few times. He's still nervous though. He's glad Darren is kissing him when he reaches down between them and takes his cock in hand. "Tell me how you like it," Chris whispers between presses of their mouth.

"Go quick," Darren says right into Chris mouth. "Firm grip and squeeze the head." He lets Chris get going, his hand doing a damn good job at bringing him to the edge. "Fuck--" he thrusts up and into Chris' fist once, the pleasure of fucking up and into something right on his face. 

Chris is halfway back to hard himself - not able to get all the way there, not yet, but his cock is trying its best. The sounds Darren makes, the absolute abandon on his face, the way he kisses Chris with desperation and grunts against his mouth. Chris feels like maybe he should be saying something but he isn't sure what to say, so he doesn't, just keeps jerking Darren and letting Darren fuck his fist. 

"Close baby," Darren pants, his mouth still on Chris'. "So close." He grunts again and thrusts forward before coming hard over Chris' fist and stomach. "Fuck!" Slumping back, Darren scrambles for breath, looking at Chris covered in his come and groaning again. 

"Oh." Chris laughs breathlessly, looking down at himself. It's warm and kind of slick and dripping over his skin where a spurt hit the curve of his ribs. He fishes around for the towel he used on himself and carefully folds it to use a clean side and wipe himself up. Darren is still breathing heavily and recovering from his orgasm when Chris tosses the towel on the floor. "Oh my god you had your tongue in my ass."

Darren stares at Chris before he breaks out into a big grin. "Yeah I did, didn't I?" He's not even ashamed of it, just proud of what he was able to do to Chris. "Guess I should go brush my teeth huh?"

Chris laughs. "I think the damage is done." 

He tugs on Darren's arm until Darren lays back down beside him, then gives Darren a kiss. 

"Mm, yes, see that really upsets you." Darren takes his time, placing a hand on the side of Chris' face as he kisses him back deeply. His tongue strokes at Chris' touch and teasing as he pulls Chris on top of him. He's happy and sated and just enjoying having a gorgeous boy in bed with him. 

Chris' first thought is that his dick is touching Darren's body now, and it's not even in a sexy way. It's weird and intimate and should be weirder than it feels right now. 

Maybe that has to do with how sleepy Chris is all of a sudden. 

Their lips slide apart and Darren nuzzles into the crook of Chris' neck, touching and teasing before finally just breathing him in. "Mm, I feel... pleasant. Tired. Sleepy?" He asks, pulling back to look at Chris. "Should we crawl under the covers? Call it a night?"

"Yes, please," Chris says, Then he shuts his eyes like he's mostly asleep already and whispers, "I call not it on the lights."

"Lazy," Darren says, slapping Chris' bare bum playfully. Groaning he rolls Chris off of him and shuffles over to the lightswitch. He's quick to turn it off before running back and jumping into the bed, tangling his limbs with Chris' as they both try to pull the duvet and sheet up and over them. Darren waits until Chris settles before curling around behind him. He carefully slots a thigh in between Chris' legs and an arm around his waist, holding him close as they both begin to fall asleep.

* 

Chris wakes up feeling suffocated. Literally - the blankets are too heavy, there's too much body heat he's not used to underneath them. He's glad to be able to slip off to shower first, though by the time he's out, he's eager to see Darren again. 

There are texts waiting on both of their phones to be at the buses at ten am sharp. It's only a three hour drive to Rosemont, but considering how long it takes them to get all the show gear anywhere they'll need the time. 

"So do you have plans for Chicago?" Chris asks. He knows Darren has friends there. 

"Oooh yeah," Darren says, stepping out of the shower. "Can I borrow this?" He asks, holding up a star wars t-shirt before tugging it on. "There are a bunch of friends of mine planning to go out after the concert. You should come with us. I can introduce you."

"Really? Like the people in Starkid - those friends?" Chris' first reaction is, embarrassingly, to go into total fan mode. "And um, yeah, of course, you can wear that."

Darren's grin is blinding when he turns back to Chris. "You little fanboy you," he teases. His hands wrap around Chris' hips and he tugs him in close. "Yes like exactly those kinds of friends. Or would it be a bit overwhelming of me to say oh, Draco? Ron?..." 

"Are they gonna make fun of me because... you know, that whole Glee thing?" Chris knows how much they tease Darren about it.

"What? cause you're on Glee?" Darren asks. He looks at Chris a bit bewildered before shaking his head. "Oh no no no. You know they don't mean anything to me seriously, right? You should have heard what they said to me when I got that job as a nudist."

Chris hasn't really had a group of friends that he was comfortable enough with for them to just blatantly make fun of him and him to know they didn't mean it, so the concept is sort of alien for him but he believes Darren. "Okay, then. Yeah - I'd love to meet your friends." 

He has to bite down on his bottom lip to contain his smile.

"They'll love you," Darren assures, kissing him. "I already know they'll be excited to finally get to meet you."

"Finally?" Chris raises an eyebrow. "I doubt they even know my name. Unless someone has been talking about me..."

Darren smiles back and runs his fingers through Chris' hair, still floppy without product in it. "Come on. They're probably looking for us."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chicago**

The bus ride isn't nearly as awkward as Chris was afraid it would be. Of course, everyone has noticed that Chris and Darren were absent from the festivities the night before, but they only get marginally teased for it. 

They are still trying to be as subtle as possible. Chris doesn't mind when Darren gets sucked into conversation with Harry and Chord. He enjoys a little time to catch up with Ashley. Before this thing with Darren started, Ashley was the person he spent every free minute he had with. 

They spent most of the bus ride gossiping shamelessly, with Ashley frequently trying to pry intimate details out of Chris that he refuses to give up. As they hit the last hour, Darren makes his way back over. 

"Hi," Chris says, hoping his expression doesn't give it all away. 

"Hey," Darren says back, nudging shoulders with him. His own grin is ridiculously large, he has no problem being affectionate in front of others.

"Oh is that how it is?" Ashley rolls her eyes. "You're going to have to tame down that PDA guys."

"Well, we were just trying to be nice."

"Less nice, more boy kissing," Ashley instructs.

"No! No boy kissing," Chris says. He catches the horrified look on Darren's face and adds, "In front of people."

"Boooo," Ashley says. 

"You were going to cut me off." Darren pouts, giving Chris the puppy dog eyes. "And no one is watching. Except for Fink but whatever." He waves his hand at Ashley and turns his big eyed puppy pout onto Chris full throttle. 

Chris leans over and very quickly kisses Darren's cheek. "I was not, stop looking at me like that."

"You said no more boy kisses and I would be very disappointed if I didn't get anymore kisses from you." He tries to turn and catch Chris' lips but Chris is ninja fast. His cheeks are already turning pink from the kiss to his cheek. 

"Aw Chris." Darren leans in and nuzzles at his neck ever so slightly. "You know, none of them would care, right?” He asks him quietly. "I mean they might rib us a bit, but they wouldn't care that we did anything together."

"Yeah, but..." Chris isn't sure how to explain that he's not quite ready. He wants to feel like he has a handle on this before other people judge him for it.

Darren reaches over, runs his fingers over Chris' hand, lacing their fingers together where people can't see. "Alright." Darren doesn't need to know why, he's willing to take this at Chris' pace. 

Chris has to look away for a second. It's silly but he's caught off guard by Darren holding his hand - and being thoughtful enough to do it where no one can see. He wants to reassure Darren he'll get there but he also still wants to know where there is. 

"Thanks," he mumbles. 

"Don't worry about it." He nudges against Chris' shoulder again and smiles at him. Ashley grows bored of them, rolling her eyes as she gets up and goes to find Mark and talk to him. 

"I'm sorry if I am pushing you too much. Let me know if I ever... do that? I sometimes get too excited about things."

"You're not pushing me," Chris says, leaning into him. "And... me, too. On the... excited thing. It's not just you." 

He smiles, loving the idea that Darren is excited about... this.

"Good. I'm glad." Darren gives Chris’s hand a squeeze and smiles. 

*

The tour bus pulls into the Rosemont venue with a few hours to spare until show time. The cast goes in search of food beforehand, Darren hanging back with Chris to be able to slip away and maybe grab something alone with him. 

Chris checks to make sure all of his stuff is in order backstage before he even thinks about food. Most of the cast doesn't worry about that, but Chris is always paranoid that he'll suddenly be without something. 

He likes that Darren trails after him, though. "When are you meeting your friends?"

"Probably not until after the show. It's hard to catch up with them beforehand with all the soundchecks and everything we need to get through." Darren shrugs and leans against a nearby pylon, looking Chris over. "You ready to grab some food?"

They are all alone and Darren doesn't restrain himself from pulling Chris in close and kissing him like he wanted to in the bus. 

Chris laughs and kisses him back, hands on Darren's waist. "I thought you want food?" He asks, before kissing him again.

"Maybe. Minute." Darren leans back in, his hands cupping Chris' face to just hold him there while he slips his tongue in and just takes his time kissing him as deep as he can. 

"We really need to not," Chris pauses to accept another kiss, "be doing this here." 

He can see Darren winding up a protest so he shoves their mouths together and quiets him. 

"But," Chris whispers. "I bet the bus is empty right now."

"The... Ooh--" Darren groans and jerks his hips into Chris'. "Oh yeah, baby." 

Darren grins and grabs Chris' hand and jerks him away from the stage and back towards the bus. 

They get halfway there when one of the tour directors emerges from a backstage room. Chris yanks his hand away from Darren's and turns bright red. "Hey, great, I was about to make one of the PA's test the mic system for you but I could use you two instead if you have a minute?" 

Darren stumbles a bit at how quickly Chris jerks away from him. He sighs and looks forlornly at the bus before following along behind the PA obediently. He has a very noticeable bulge in his pants and reaches a hand down to shift himself and relieve some pressure. He's not too worried about it, it’s not the first time he's sported a semi while hanging around backstage. 

* 

By the time they're done being test monkeys for the sound system, they barely have time to grab catered sandwiches before the cast is flooding back in. 

Chris is sorry he didn't get private time with Darren but the pre-show nerves are starting to emerge.

Darren tries to corner Chris backstage to talk to him, but each time he tries to, Chris slips away, saying something about having to check up with someone or double check on his stuff. Finally Darren sighs and just stops going off after Chris, hoping he'll be able to talk to him after the show. 

Chris knows Darren is trying to get his attention and he feels bad for shrugging him off, but he's already so nervous with the fact that he's about to be on stage under a spotlight - and now it feels like he's under one backstage, too. 

Getting Chris to stop and slow down, to just talk to Darren is easy when he's been drinking or thinks no one is watching them. Right now, it is like pulling teeth and after a while Darren stops trying. He'll just talk to Chris after.

*

The concert goes well, like it always does. Chris tries harder to get Darren to break onstage and Darren suspects the friends he has in the audience are the reason for that.

Chris immediately feels better after the concert. He's laughing and giddy and now he can focus on being excited about meeting Darren's friends.

He changes before Darren has even made his way backstage. Darren always takes forever, stopping to talk to everyone. Chris checks and responds to emails on his phone while he waits.

When Darren finally walks in, Chris jumps up and crosses the small room to kiss him before he can even say anything.

Darren's hands come up as Chris surprises him. He goes with it though and leans into the kiss, chasing it further when Chris pulls back and away. 

"Wow. That was uh... Hi to you, too." Darren clears his throat and has to reach down to adjust himself again. "You ready to head out...? I don't know where we're meeting everyone. I'm going to have to text someone but I'm sure they'll be out of the crowd in another 20 minutes or so." 

"I'm ready," Chris says. He grabs his messenger bag with a change of clothes and his laptop - not that he'll need it, he just prefers that it stay close. 

"Awesome," Darren wraps an arm through Chris' and leads him out the door. He texts the girls with his other hand, trying to figure out where they've gone to meet up. 

His phone buzzes right as they arrive at the cars. "Okay they're at a local place not far from here. Kinda dive-y but fun. Ready to go?"

"I think. Is this okay?" Chris asks. He's just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He doesn't want to be too dorky but he also doesn't want to seem like he's trying to be cooler than they are. 

He's basically two seconds away from grabbing Darren's arms and blurting out how do I make them like me? 

"You look great," Darren assures him. They enter the car and Darren gives the driver directions to the bar. He holds Chris' hand all the way there, fingers squeezing and thumb brushing over the back of his hand. 

It doesn't take long to arrive and Darren is quick to grab the handle of the door and open it, jumping out and tugging Chris along. "Come on, I can't wait for you to meet them. We’re gonna meet Brian outside so we can drop our stuff in his car."

Chris doesn’t want to admit that he’s seen the Harry Potter shows enough to recognize Brian before Darren even points him out, but he does. 

Greetings are quick and they stick their overnight bags in Brian’s trunk before they head inside, where it smells like amazing food. 

It's loud, but a happy conversation-filled loud. 

"Hey-o!" Darren cries out, throwing his arms up in the air to hug each one of them as they come over. "God it is good to see you!" He picks Lauren up and practically squeezes her to himself before setting her back down. "And you, milady," he adds, holding his arms out to Julia. She rolls her eyes and leans in, hugging him close. 

Chris hangs back, but he has a huge grin on his face watching everyone. 

Joey Richter is the first one that spots Chris. "Hey, man! Glad you joined us!" 

"Hi!" Chris reaches out to shake his hand but Joey pounces on him for a hug.

 

Darren rocks Julia close before finally letting her go. "Hey guys, I want you all to meet someone," he turns to introduce Chris but notes that Joey already has latched on. "Well, if he can breath after Joey is done with him anyways," he fusses, pushing Joey off of his boy. 

Chris bumps his shoulder against Darren's and smiles sheepishly. "Hi, everyone!" He gives a little wave. "I'm Chris." 

"We know." Brian grins. "We're all good friends, we watch Glee.” 

"Yeah, you're the gay kid that macks on Darren!" Joe Walker, who obviously has had a few to drink already, chimes in.

Darren grins wider. "Yup! This is my boyfriend on Glee," he agrees. Bouncing on his toes he takes the offered drink from Nick and knocks half of it back in one go. "Come on, lets get you something to drink. Get you to loosen up a bit."

"How would you know how loose I am?" Chris whispers as they walk over to the bar. He already feels happy to be here, and relaxing more and more with every moment. 

Darren orders a round for everyone, handing over his card and then handing a beer back to Chris. "Maybe I got used to seeing you a certain way when you'd been fingered nice and loose," Darren whispers right into his ear. 

Chris blushes hot but he doesn't say anything else because they are headed back to the table.

He also doesn't think he needs to encourage this or he'll have to worry about the state of his pants. 

He sits beside Darren and tries to catch up to the conversation. 

Darren places a hand on his thigh as he follows the conversation, looking from Joey to Lauren and then to Brian. He catches up with what everyone's been doing; he misses his friends, misses being able to be there with them and know what everyone is doing. 

Chris doesn't have too much to contribute but he listens to everyone raptly.

Eventually Lauren turns to him and props her chin on her hand. "So, young Mr. Colfer, exactly how bad of an influence on you is Darren?"

"Oh, so bad," Chris says, smirking over at Darren. 

Darren gasps, places a hand on his chest. "Excuse me, you think I would be a bad influence? What?" 

"That's how I know they're really your friends," Chris says. "They know you and your bad influential ways."

"My honor is being maligned here," Darren insists. 

"Oh your honor was maligned a long time ago. Your honor was a slutty, slutty thing who opened its legs at the first sign of options, don't even pretend," Walker says, rolling his eyes. 

Chris lifts an eyebrow at Darren. "Oh, I think these are the stories I need to be hearing."

"Oh no, I don't think these are stories you need to be hearing at all." Darren puts two hands up to cover Chris' ears to prevent him from hearing anything else. 

Chris shies away from Darren for show and then turns to Lauren. "I want everything. With photos, if you have them."

"I have so many photos," Lauren assures him. "Do you want the naked ones too?" 

"You have --wait what?" Darren looks back at Lauren, his mind boggling a bit. "When did you get naked ones??"

"Nothing. No one. I mean. I definitely didn't sneak onto Julia's hard drive. No way." Lauren stops babbling when Jaime elbows her, hard. 

Chris puts two and two together very quickly. 

“Wait… Julia has naked pictures of me on her hard drive?” Darren asks, looking over at her. Her eyes are wide as she stares at Darren from over the rim of her glass.

“What?” She deadpans, trying to keep a straight face.

“What … did you… save _those_ pictures?’ He asks her and Julia just looks to the side and shrugs before breaking into a grin.

Chris begins to feel awkward but he realizes in this group, like with most groups of extrovert theater and actor types, that signs of weakness are not easily brushed aside. They’re all so outgoing that everything is on the table.

So he forces a smile and takes another drink of his beer to hide his discomfort with not really understanding the layers of relationships of people around the table. It’s obvious Darren and Julia were something but he realizes now that he doesn’t know who else here Darren might have been… _more_ with.

Darren doesn’t quite pick up on Chris’ discomfort, he just laughs and throws a peanut at Lauren as Nick launches into another story of the production they’re working on. Darren drains his beer, looks over to the bar, planning to get another when he looks at Chris and notes how his own drink is still very full and how quiet he is.

“Hey, you … okay?” Darren asks him quietly.

“I’m fine,” Chris says. He still has that tight smile plastered on his face and he wishes he could fake it better. Somehow he hasn’t perfected that line between acting when he can be another character and pretending things when he’s just being himself.

He feels like he’s an open book and he doesn’t like that. He turns and finds someone else to talk to - Joey’s nice, but fairly drunk. Brian is more or less sober, though, and they start up a conversation. Chris asks him about college and what Brian does for a living and he listens but Brian’s stories all involve his attempts to find acting work and his failures and Chris just ends up in another awkward conversation because really, what does he have to contribute to that? He’s a one in a million case, he didn’t really have to struggle. He landed the first big role he went out for.

But he makes sympathetic remarks in all the right places and after a few minutes, Meredith gets Brian’s attention and Chris is saved more of that.

Darren returns with another drink, glass of whiskey this time, and a basket of fries that he pushes over to Chris. He looks up at him from under his lashes as he tries to get Chris to smile.

“Come on,” he says quietly, pulling Chris into a full bodied hug. “That isn’t the face I saw earlier today when I was sucking you off,” he murmurs quietly right into Chris’ ear. He pulls back, hoping to see a smile on Chris’ face from that but he’s disappointed.

“Sorry,” Chris says. “Just a long day.”

Darren has that kicked puppy look and even though Chris is feeling out of place himself he can’t stand to see that on Darren’s face.

He reaches down and slips his hand in Darren’s.

That makes Darren beam. He squeezes Chris’ hand and reaches out with his other, cupping the side of his face, pulling him in for a kiss. It’s dark in the bar and Darren is feeling happy and drunk and he doesn’t care who of his friends sees him kiss Chris. Certainly wouldn’t be the first time they’ve seen him kiss a guy before.

Lauren is the one that lets out a whistle. “Oh, boys, taking that method acting a little seriously, aren’t you?”

Chris is red again and he’s glad no one can see. He’s surprised by Darren’s kiss but he’s also smiling now, that real smile, because he just got kissed by a boy he likes in front of all that boy’s friends and he hadn’t even realized how much he’d like that until it happened.

He leans into Darren and wraps an arm around him.

Darren just looks back at Lauren, his arm around Chris and he’s smug, like the fucking cat who got the cream because yeah, this fucking hot ass boy on his arm? Yeah, they’re together and they’re going to be doing it together later and he can’t help but smile from that.

“You know damn well I don’t need to go method to take your ass, Lopez,” Darren throws out, pulling Chris in even closer.

“I don’t think it’s my ass you’re gonna be taking!” Lauren shouts back.

They’re both laughing and Chris feels in on the joke this time. He wraps his other arm around Darren in a sideways embrace and looks over at Lauren. “How do you know it’s not going to be me taking his ass?”

There’s a beat of silence amongst the people close enough to have heard them and then all of a sudden everyone howls with laughter.

“Oh my god, I think I love you,” Joey says, grabbing Chris by the shoulders.

“Hey now!” Darren tries to break up the laughter but he can’t and finally, he caves and just shrugs and laughs along.

“Good for you,” Brian congratulates Chris, slapping him on the back. “He’s got an ass on him, or so I’ve heard. Be sure to you know…” Brian adds in a few thrusting and ass slapping motions before Darren shoves him off.

“I didn’t know you wanted to be taking my ass, that something you think about, Colfer?” Darren asks Chris, voice quiet and in his ear so Chris can hear him over the rest of the bar.

“Your ass? Taking your ass? I can’t stop thinking about it,” Chris says, alcohol loosening his grasp on words that might otherwise embarrass him. He slips a hand into Darren’s back pocket and squeezes a little. “And all the things I want to do to it. Is that okay? That I want to… be the one doing that?”

Darren shakes his head and grins. “That’s great. That’s fine. I love sex, man. Top, bottom, middle… It’s all fun.” Darren knocks back a bit more of his whiskey and turns until they’re standing in front of each other, his hands tight on Chris’ hips. “You… think about it all the time, then?”

 

“Well. Lately.” Chris drapes his arms over Darren’s shoulders. “Since I got a close up view of it…”

He bites his lip, picturing in vivid detail exactly how perfect Darren’s ass really is.

Darren grins. “You’re thinking about it now aren’t you? Thinking about how it looks and how much you like it.”

“Yes.” Chris leans in and kisses Darren, a little softer and slower than Darren had kissed him.

He’d very likely keep on kissing Darren if not for Joe Walker slamming his way between them. “Listen! I am happy, like, fucking ecstatic that my buddy D here is getting some Hollywood tail. Like, living the American dream, fuck yeah. Except with like, dicks. But that’s cool! It’s all cool. But Darren’s out to hang with us, man. So I’m gonna have to intervene here and say hold off on the tonsil explorations until you’re not amongst such lively company.”

Darren rolls his eyes and shoves Joe a bit. “Maybe you just need to get some of your own American Dream tail,” he mutters before sliding a hand into Chris’ back pocket. “What sort of lively company did you have in mind then, Joe?”

“I was thinking.” Joe spins in a half circle and points both fingers at Brian Holden. “We hit Bri’s house, since he’s the dude with the digs.”

“And the roommates,” Brian reminds him. “But, yeah, man, we can totally head to mine for some… recreational activities.”

Chris glances over at Darren. He has a feeling he knows what Brian means, but he’s not positive so he checks for confirmation.

Darren pretends to hold a joint in front of his lips and inhales before blowing in Chris’ face. “You wanna go get high man?” He asks, squeezing Chris’ butt. “I bet you’d be sexy as fuck high, wanna see that.”

“I’ve never been high, but… sure.” Chris feels bolstered by Darren’s company and the group that they’re in. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

“High five!” Joey says, slapping Chris’ palm hard and slightly off-center. Then he turns and looks at Darren. “Dude. Keep him.”

*

It takes about half an hour to get to Brian’s house on the outskirts of town. Chris spends the ride with Darren sitting on his lap in the car, because there isn’t enough room for everyone to ride comfortably with the introduction of two new people.

Chris doesn’t mind it at all, though. Darren’s ass has enough padding to keep it from being too bony or uncomfortable and Darren is warm and just heavy enough and smells amazing.

Darren continues to whisper things into Chris’ ear, things he wants to do to him later as he shifts ever so in his lap. By the time the ride is over, Darren has given Chris a fair sized hard on that is pretty easy to see in his tight pants. Darren smirks as Chris gets out of the car, cheeks flushed and bulge prominent. Lauren steps out behind Darren, looking over at Chris and looking him up and down before turning back to Darren and slapping him on the back.

“Nice,” she compliments. “Keep him.”

*

“I hate you,” Chris hisses in Darren’s ear, trying his best to calm down before they get inside.

He manages, somehow - but of course as soon as they settle in a semicircle to watch Brian get the bong going Darren plops right into his lap and the problem starts anew.

Julia isn’t beside them but she’s close enough to lean in and fake whisper, “You know you can just shove him off, right?”

“Yeah, I have this problem where he keeps coming right back.” Chris frowns exaggeratedly. “Do you know how to fix that?”

Julia shakes her head sadly. “Nope. Never found a solution. He’s like a puppy or something. Except a puppy that snores and won’t do laundry and - wait. Maybe he is just like a puppy.”

Chris reaches up and pats Darren on top of his head. “Who’s a good boy?”

Darren is drunk enough to laugh and nuzzle into Chris’ palm before giving his face a full lick. “Wanna make my tail wag baby?” He asks, wiggling his butt into Chris’ lap further.

“Oh man,” Julia laughs and shakes her head. “Sorry, Chris. I think you’re on your own there.”

“And here we had hoped Hollywood might have taught him a little decorum…” Jaime shakes her head sadly.

“I think the opposite happened,” Brian adds in. “He’s just finding the young, corruptible youth of Hollywood and - corrupting them.”

“Not all of them…” Chris says, wrapping an arm protectively around Darren. “At least I hope not.”

“Mm, no baby, no,” Darren assures him. “Just you. Just corrupting you.” He nuzzles into Chris’ neck as Brian packs the bong and flicks his lighter on, getting them started.

“You’ll have to show me how to do this,” Chris whispers to Darren.

Darren smiles at him reassuringly and when the bong comes around he demonstrates first and then helps coach Chris through his first hit.

Chris doesn’t actually feel much right away so he’s not really sure he did it correctly.

“Go on, baby Colfer, take another,” Lauren says. “You get special first timer privileges.”

Chris feels this one a lot more. His throat burns a little and his head feels a little woozy, but in a nice, non-threatening way.

He leans into Darren while Darren steals another drag before passing it along. Darren gets called out for it, though, including a wadded up napkin tossed at him.

“Hey, hey! I’m a working boy!” Darren whines as another napkin is thrown at him. “I don’t get to do this any time, I have to actually work and get up before the sun comes out and all that important adult type shit. Give me a break.”

Julia rolls her eyes and takes her own hit from the bong, letting it settle in her lungs before she blows it out. “Stop whining, you’ll get no sympathy here, Criss.”

“Yeah, boo hoo, the working actor’s plight.” Brian mocks. “Let me shed a tear for you. The salt will help the taste of the ramen noodles I eat every night because I don’t have a fucking job.”

Chris would feel burned by the accusation but Darren takes it in stride, flipping Brian off cheerfully with expletives that make Chris and everyone else laugh.

Chris thinks to himself, _I hope I have friends like this one day._

Darren lounges against Chris as he waits for the bong to come back around. When he gets it, he holds it for Chris to breathe in and then out before he takes his own hit. He let’s the smoke build before breathing a lot in, and holding it in his lungs. He sets the bong down before grabbing the front of Chris’ shirt and pulling him in hard and pushing their lips together. He opens Chris’ mouth with his tongue and breathes out and directly into Chris’ mouth.

Chris isn’t sure what Darren is doing at first and then he catches on. Chris grabs Darren’s face and his eyes flutter shut. The smoke is heavy and acrid on his tongue but it’s mixed with Darren’s breath and it’s possibly the hottest thing he’s ever done or been a part of before.

(Except maybe that thing with Darren’s tongue in his ass. That one will be hard to beat.)

He hears Lauren whining but the sound feels muted through the rush of his own blood. “Oh, now that’s just not fucking fair.”

Darren pants into Chris’ mouth, unable to break away just yet, not even wanting to. “That was…” He grins and flicks his tongue out in between their mouths to taste Chris’. “Mmm, you taste amazing.”

Chris leans in to chase the taste even more, pushing his tongue alongside Darren’s and licking over the ridged roof of his mouth. The bitter tang is everywhere, flooding his taste buds, but chased with something sweeter and more pure, something Darren.

Chris is feeling the high now - maybe more strongly than the rest since he’s new to it, or maybe he just thinks it’s stronger because he has nothing but sobriety to compare it to.

He does suddenly find himself caring less who sees him slide his hand underneath Darren’s shirt. He’s just greedy for bare skin, an urge that falls over him lightning fast that he doesn’t try to deny.

“Come on,” Joe whines as he gets the bong back. “We said no making out--”

Lauren throws a pillow at his head and yells at him to be quiet. “If the pretty boy wants to make out with Darren’s face while high, the pretty boy gets to make out with Darren, you shut up!”

Darren just ignores the conversation going on around his head and leans in to kiss Chris further. He pushes a hand up Chris’ shirt, fingers playing on and over his abs as he can hear someone behind him groan.

Chris pulls himself away eventually. "I'm not getting to third base with you in front of your friends!" 

"Man, I wish all of Darren's past hookups had been that polite," Brian says. 

Darren whines and tugs on the front of Chris' shirt. He gets horny when high. Well, he gets horny around lamps that are vaguely phallic when stone cold sober, but when high he gets very horny and also very needy to take care of it. 

"Please, baby," he whispers, sucking on Chris' earlobe. "You taste so good." He thrusts down a bit just to let Chris feel what he's working with already.

Somewhere in the back of Chris' mind, that part of him that points out why this isn't a great idea is floating on a cloud barely tethered to reality. The feel of Darren's hard on grinding into him threatens to snap that. 

But it is still tethered. "I thought we were here to hang out with them?" Chris whispers, his mouth catching and sliding against Darren's again. 

"How can you do this thing to me?" Darren asks, lips moving on Chris' in response. He flicks his tongue out to taste Chris' lips a bit more. 

The bong has made it around one more time and Brian, noticing how Darren keeps moving on Chris, packs a bit more into it and lights it up again. He has a feeling they're all going to need it. 

Chris and Darren would be horizontal if not for the fact that they're sitting with the couch behind them. Chris is leaning all the way into it and Darren is moving subtly against him, rocking. Chris buries both of his hands in Darren's hair and kisses him hard, coerced into forgetting everyone is there until Lauren nudges them because it's their turn. 

"You wanna....? Again?" Darren asks, offering the bong to Chris first. He holds onto it and flicks the lighter on as he watches Chris' mouth. When Chris inhales, Darren waits a moment, letting the smoke fill his lungs before he catches Chris' mouth with his own, his tongue slipping in to open his lips and breathe the smoke back in. 

Chris lets it out slowly. It's so hot, doing it like that, sharing it with Darren like that. "If I ever smoke like this again, you have to be there," Chris demands. 

"Baby, I'll be where you want me to be if you use those lips like that." Darren winks and takes his own drag from the bong, blowing it back out in Chris' face before passing it along. 

"It's not fair that he gets all the booty calls and fun and I have to sit here sharing this with no one. Jaime, come here," Joe whines, grabbing for her and pulling her close. 

"I'm not a booty call," Chris protests. "I came here with him. He didn't call me." 

The logic seems perfectly reasonable to him and he just isn't sure why Joey would call him that.

He looks over at Darren, a little worried. 

"That's right you tell 'im baby," Darren encourages. His lips move to Chris' neck where he licks and sucks and nips up and down, playing with the skin. 

He's high enough that booty call only vaguely worries at him. Darren's hands and his mouth and his fantastic makeout skills are sufficient distraction. 

Maybe a little too distracting - but luckily there is one thing Darren wants more than sex on a regular basis, and that's to perform. When Brian pulls out a guitar Darren is up in a flash, grabbing it and chattering about a new song he just wrote that he wants everyone to hear. 

Chris gets a moment to sit back and just gather himself again. 

The others are well used to Darren's performance antics. Joe gives Brian a thumbs up as Darren begins strumming and singing, Lauren just sulks as she had been enjoying the other show. 

When he finishes with one song he immediately launches into another. A full, dialed down version of The Golden Afternoon. 

Julia comes to sit beside Chris at some point. "Hi," she says, smiling over at him. "How you doing?" 

"I feel - fuzzy," Chris answers. He hopes he doesn't sound too silly, but it's the truth. 

Julia laughs. "You need some water? Or fresh air? I felt sick the first time I got high, so I just wanted to come check on you." 

"I think I'm okay," Chris says, but he does consider it. He doesn't want to miss any of Darren singing, though. "But thank you." 

She leans over and kisses him on the cheek. "Any time, sweetie." 

Darren runs through a whole litany of songs, singing to the others and then to himself when they begin talking over him. When he has a guitar in his hand, he can't help but want to strum along and just play. That is until his stomach growls over the chords and he's reminded how he hasn't had anything to eat since before the show. 

"Fuck. I want chinese food," he announces, looking to everyone as if they might have some magically appearing food. 

"Chinese food would be so good," Joey groans. "Can we get Chinese food?"

And within fifteen minutes the phone is being passed around. After hearing everyone else reel off orders Chris' stomach is growling, too. 

"You should get some food. Need to keep up your stamina, you know," Darren says, patting Chris' stomach. "Get something and we can share ours, swap it back and forth, you know?"

Chris orders orange chicken and lo mein and spring rolls. He's sure that even if he doesn't eat it all, there will be plenty of people willing to take his leftovers... but right now he's starving and even briefly wonders if that's enough food. 

Joey and Brian are dueting in the little stage area so Chris drapes himself over Darren on the couch, cuddling in close and kissing his neck. 

Darren hums, practically a purr and curls himself around Chris, nuzzling into him. Always affectionate at the best of times, when high, Darren's natural inclination is to curl into the closest warm body and burrow in. 

"So where you guys headed to next?" Brian asks. 

"All over." Chris barely bothers keeping track. "Philly, DC, Canada... New York will be fun. And then oversees... England! My motherland." 

His voice rises with excitement when he talks about England. 

"Motherland, huh? You don't seem to have an accent," Jaime says, moving to sit over by Chris. 

"... in my heart," Chris says. "I'm seventh in line for the British throne. By my calculations." 

He says it matter of factly and with great conviction, but for some reason everyone around him cracks up anyway. 

"New York, though, man. You must be pumped to see Mia!" Joe gives Darren a big grin. 

Darren gives a half-assed shrug. "I mean, yeah. I don't know what she's doing though. I don't know if her band even has a show that night or anything. She's been busy."

"Mia?" Chris asks, curious. He's never heard Darren mention anyone named Mia before.

"Yeah, Mia's a friend--" Darren begins. 

"I wish I had a friend like that," Joe says, whistling and waggling his eyebrows. Darren just rolls his eyes and throws a pillow at him. 

"Oh, um. A friend. Got it." Chris does get it. He doesn't like it, but he gets it. "A friend in New York."

"Like smoking hot friend with unlimited banging privileges," Joe adds, shaking his head. "God damn, how'd you get that lucky?"

"Darren has the gift," Lauren says, sighing dramatically. "You don't know whether to be jealous of him or just... give in and sleep with him, too."

Joe shuffles and straightens his shirt. "There are some people in this crowd who haven't succumbed and slept with him thank you," he points out. 

"Some?" Chris asks, frowning. He's suddenly wondering if maybe coming here wasn't a great idea after all. 

Jaime rolls her eyes and pats Chris arm. "There are more than that," she assures him. 

Chris squirms off of Darren. "I think I need some fresh air." 

He heads outside, stumbling a little. The weed and booze is still diluting how this might be hitting him otherwise but the room seems smaller now. 

It takes Darren a few minutes before he realizes that Chris isn't there. He goes off in search, finding him outside and sliding up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist. "Missed you," he says quietly. 

"You're here to have fun with your friends," Chris says. 

The air outside is warm but it's sweeter smelling here outside of actual town. It reminds him more of home, of Clovis. Los Angeles has a certain smell to it that just isn't home. 

It's also helped to sober him up some. 

"Here to have fun with you, too," Darren adds, nuzzling into the back of Chris' neck. He breathes him in before beginning to mouth gently at the skin there, tasting him. 

"No one else in there you wanted to have fun with tonight?" Chris asks softly. "It's okay if you do." 

Darren pulls back, confused because this sounds important but his mind is a bit fuzzy and he's not sure what Chris is trying to say. "I mean, we're all having fun, right?"

Chris laughs and kisses Darren on the mouth, just a peck. "I meant sex. If you wanted to have sex with any of them... just let me know, I'll try to not... monopolize you." 

Chris is trying very hard to be grown up about this, because - this is what adults do, right? 

Casual sex with friends. 

This is what Darren does. 

Darren frowns. "You don't want to have sex with me?" He's dangerously close to pulling out the puppy dog eyes. Screw it being unfair for getting sex, he wants to have sex with Chris. 

Chris rolls his eyes. "Oh, stop that. Of course I do. I just meant if you wanted to have sex with any of them instead..." He shrugs. 

"Them?" Darren looks back inside and snorts. "No, man, I don't want to have sex with any of them. I wanna have sex with you! Unless.... did you wanna have sex with them?" Darren pulls back to look at Chris more closely. 

Chris laughs. "Oh my god, no. I mean, they're fine - um, Joe's abs are - nice - but, no. You're the only one here I want to sleep with." 

"Mmm good," Darren likes that. He wraps his arms back around Chris and pulls him in close. "Sleep with me. No sex with them."

"Yes, sir," Chris says with a little giggle. Okay, maybe he's still a bit high.

"Ooh, like that," Darren whispers, his hands running down Chris' back to grab his ass and pull him in close. Darren grinds up against him, ignoring as the chinese take-away man arrives, standing awkwardly behind them as he knocks on the door. 

Chris laughs into Darren's shoulder. "This is awkward. Um, here, I'll just-" 

Chris pulls a wad of cash out of his wallet. The order comes to over a hundred bucks easily but Chris just yanks off the right number of bills with a generous tip and hands them over. 

"Mm, sugar daddy," Darren teases as he grabs for the food. "Spend it on me baby." He shakes his hips as he walks back into the house, carrying the food for everyone. 

A couple people try to give him money for the food but Chris waves them all off. 

"He is my favorite," Walker says, mouth stuffed full of an egg roll. He looks over at Darren. "Keep him."

Darren rolls his eyes. It's the third time he's been told to keep Chris. "Maybe I will," he says back to Joe. He takes his own food and finds Chris eating by the girls and joins him, spreading out his own meal and sitting back to listen to them talk, smiling at Chris' enthusiasm. Maybe he will keep Chris for a while.

*

Chris wakes up to a symphony of snoring and Darren's elbow poking him in the side. 

He lifts his head and looks over. Joey has one leg slung over Darren's and someone else is in bed with them but upside down, just a pair of feet sticking out from under the blankets. 

It takes Chris another few seconds of fighting awareness to realize that his phone is going off. He grabs it, relieved to see that it's just a text message. Or... a series of them. All from one of the tour directors, making sure that Chris is awake and that he'll be back at the venue in time for rehearsal. 

Darren probably has a similar string of texts on his own phone, wherever it is. Chris rolls onto his back and half on top of Darren. "Time to get up."

"No," Darren responds, curling up around Chris further. "Sleep more," he insists. Darren is warm and comfortable and has people around him and Chris on top of him and he can't think of any good reason why he should get out of bed like this. 

"Have to get up," Chris says. He feels mildly hungover but nothing a shower, a greasy breakfast, and a few cans of Diet Coke won't solve. "Have to go." 

Darren groans but eventually pushes himself up into a sitting position. "Ugh, food," he demands, his stomach growling and seconding the motion. 

Chris pats Darren's stomach. "We can get food when we leave. Unless you want to make someone cook for us."

"This early with a hangover? We're not gonna like what they make us," Darren assures Chris. He yawns and stretches, his back popping before he slides away from Joey's arms and out of the bed. 

"... Where did my pants go?" He asks, looking down at where he is wearing his tiny little briefs (in the hopes that he and Chris would have gone back to their hotel room last night). 

Chris lifts his butt up and yanks Darren's pants out from under him. "I'm still wearing mine. Why are yours off?" 

He's confused and his memories of the night are hazy at best after a certain point. He remembers the conversation about crashing here versus calling a cab back, and how Darren had fallen asleep halfway through said conversation, making the decision for them. 

Darren shrugs and takes his pants and pulls them on. "I just remember being curled up next to you and wanting to feel more of your skin..."

"We can sleep naked tonight," Chris says, distracted watching the curve of Darren's ass disappear into his jeans. 

They manage to rouse Joey next, who agrees to drive them back to their hotel. They'll have just enough time to shower and get food before they have to show their faces on stage. 

"Ooh, love when you sweet talk me like that." Darren leans in for a kiss as Joey grumbles and follows along behind them, fumbling for his keys. 

"Come on, don't want to get in trouble because I didn't deliver the stars on time," Joey adds through another yawn. 

Darren falls back asleep on the drive to the hotel. Joey is mostly just humming along with the music and it feels quiet and peaceful and Chris doesn't want to interrupt either of them. He closes his eyes but doesn't drift off himself, just lets his mind wander. 

"Okay, princesses, here's your castle," Joey announces, pulling up to the hotel. Chris nudges Darren awake and they get out, stopping by to grab room keys. 

"How long do we have until we have to be at the arena?" Darren asks, nuzzling into the soft bit of skin at the back of Chris' neck. "Is it long enough for a nap?"

Chris leans back into Darren and smiles. "Yeah, I think so. A nap sounds perfect." 

They strip down to their underwear - both of them this time - and crawl back into bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**New York**

The next few days are a blur of concert after concert. The novelty wears off and exhaustion starts to set in for all of them. Suddenly the late nights aren't quite so late and sleep becomes a little more valuable. The end goal for all of them is New York, and the chance to not spend hours on the tour bus for a few days. 

Darren is dragging by the time the New York show comes around. It has been a series of shows one after the other for them. As much as he's wanted to have fun with Chris after each show, by the time the adrenaline high wears off, they both barely have much energy to crawl into bed together. 

But this, New York, New Jersey... They have 3 shows coming up and then 4 days off before England and Darren cannot fucking wait. He's practically bouncing backstage as their first New Jersey show comes to an end. 

"You're so excited," Chris says, watching Darren over the top of his laptop. He can't help but smile though part of him has been dreading this since the night out with Darren's friends. 

He knows what New York means now. New York means Mia, and he doubts he'll see Darren around much. 

Which Chris is fine with. 

Really. 

Just fine. 

"Man, can't you just feel it?” Darren asks Chris as he throws his tie off onto the counter. "Right across the river, calling out, beckoning you to come in to see her," he croons, pushing at Chris' chest. "New York, New York--" He spins around and continues the song as a hum as he begins to strip down. He isn't sure what he's doing tonight but he knows he's going into the city. He loves too much of the city to sit here across the bay, and not go over. 

"You going tonight, right?" He asks, hoping Chris is coming along. He's been texting sporadically with Mia and they haven't really been firm on any plans. If he sees her, great, but if not, well, he's hoping to show Chris some interesting New York sights. 

"I wasn't planning on it," Chris says, shutting his laptop. He's always back to the dressing rooms before Darren, because Darren stops to talk to everyone. "I had a great idea for a chapter during the Warblers number and I want to get it down, so I thought tonight I'd just stay in and... let you do that." 

Darren frowns. "You... don't want to go out?" He can't help the pouting. True, they have a few more nights around here but this is New York. "Are you sure...?"

"Don't you already have plans?" Chris asks, trying to evade the question a little. 

Darren shrugs. His plans are very vague and open-ended and don't include a whole lot of specifics other than "bar?" "sure". "Nothing big or ... really planned at all actually."

Chris thinks about it but it only takes a few seconds for him to shake his head. "I'll just stay in tonight. I'm tired, too." 

"Oh, okay." Darren doesn't want Chris to feel bad, or make him go out if he doesn't want to, so he hides the sad look as he finishes undressing. "Well then... I guess I'll see you... tomorrow?" Darren asks, sliding his wallet into his back pocket.

"Yeah." Chris plasters on a smile and watches Darren go. 

* 

It's past two in the morning and Chris is fast asleep. He's rooming with Harry tonight but Harry isn't back either - not surprising, since the girl he's seeing has a place in New York. 

Normally he and Darren rearrange it to stay together anyway but... tonight, Chris doubts that will happen. Chris doesn't want to think too hard about what Darren is doing but he doesn't really expect Darren to find him. 

It is late, really late, but Darren charms the front desk associate into giving him a keycard to Chris' room. Harry texted him the number earlier with a note that he'd be out all night and a winking face. 

Darren runs a hand over his cheek, feeling the stubble there as he inserts the card and pulls back, waiting for the green light. When it’s lit up, he opens the door, stumbling inside the room. "Woah," he says, laughing to himself as he rights himself. He's drunk and he knows it but he's hoping Chris isn't sleeping too hard. 

"Hey, baby," he croons, finding Chris in bed, curled up on the blankets. He crawls across the bed and curls up behind him. 

Chris thinks he's dreaming at first but the strong smell of alcohol and the way the bed moves convinces him that he's really awake. "What are you doing here?" He mumbles sleepily. 

"Seeing you? Getting in bed?" Darren waggles his eyebrows at Chris, grinning lewdly.

"Mm, yeah, of course, baby, of course." Darren slips out of the bed and begins to shimmy out of his pants, pushing them down his hips and then off. He jerks his shirt up over his head throwing it off to the side as he slides back in close to Chris, naked this time. 

Darren still smells a little funky but Chris reminds himself not to complain. Darren didn't have to come back to him at all. Chris is sure he had other offers... 

He grabs Darren's arm and pulls it around his waist, wanting to be cuddled. 

Darren goes where tugged. He tightens his arm around Chris' waist and buries his nose right in the crook of his neck as his body presses in closer to Chris as he drops off into sleep quickly. 

* 

Chris wakes up to Darren snoring loudly behind him. He smiles into his pillow and tries to fall back asleep but his bladder is protesting. It only takes a few minutes for him to give in. He'll have a better chance of going back to sleep if he pees, than he will stubbornly refusing to move. 

On his way back, he notices that Darren is completely naked. His ass is on display, the sheets twisted in some kind of impossible way around him. Chris is contemplating crawling onto Darren instead of just into bed beside him when he notices the smudge of bright red under Darren's ear... and then another down his neck. 

Lipstick. Chris abruptly loses his hold on the good mood he'd woken up with. He heads back into the bathroom and brushes his teeth and washes his face, then quickly and quietly dresses and grabs his laptop. 

He finds Jenna and Lea bright-eyed and wide awake downstairs in the restaurant having breakfast and joins them. 

It takes another hour and a half for Darren to wake up, groggy and having to piss. He stumbles into the bathroom, taking care of his bladder before moving into the shower to wake up. The steam helps open his head and by the time he's dressed and downstairs he's looking around for Chris. 

Chris is by himself, the girls having abandoned him for some mid-day sunning before they have to be back at the venue. He has his laptop out and he's busying writing, glasses slipped down on his nose and unstyled hair flopping over his forehead. 

Darren grabs a muffin and some coffee from the continental breakfast bar before sliding into the opposite seat. "Hey, you're uh, working early," Darren notes, nodding to his laptop. 

Chris laughs. "It's almost eleven am. That's only early for people that didn't get in until three." 

"Yes, well," Darren shrugs and grins. He takes a large bite out of his muffin and leans back in his chair. "You get a lot written?" He knows what Chris is working on, Chris has given him specifics before. He's fascinated by the world and the universe that Chris has created for himself and has never hesitated from asking questions about it. 

Chris perks up. "Yeah, I actually did. I got one chapter finished and I'm outlining the next one. It was a productive night. And, um. How was yours? Your night, I mean."

Darren stretches in his seat. "It was fine. Not bad. You should have gone out with us," he adds. "What about tonight after the show? Come out tonight?'

"Um... I might." Chris shrugs. "I got a lot of writing done so maybe I should stay in and work on this." 

Darren puts on a frowning puppy face. "You not going out makes me sad, Colfer. You should go out and not make me sad."

"Well." Chris shuts his laptop, knowing he won't get much more done with Darren around. "Tempt me. What exactly are you doing?"

"Tonight?" Darren beams. "Club time, man." He bounces in his seat and does a little hip shimmy. "You know you wanna go. Harry says this place is amazing."

"Harry? So is everyone going or just... a few people?" Chris really doesn't want to have to come right out and ask Darren if his maybe-girlfriend is going to be there or not. 

"I think a few people from the show are going to be going. Ashley said she was interested." Darren hopes that mentioning the best friend will convince Chris to go out with them tonight. He'll just have to actually ask Ashley later.

Chris bites his lip. Even if Darren goes off with someone... if Ashley's there, Chris won't feel so abandoned... he smiles. "Yeah. Okay, then. You convinced me." 

Darren's grin is huge. "Yes," he says, pumping his fist. "Awesome. We're going after the show, so bring some clothes to change into. Or wear your Single Ladies costume, either one works."

"Oh my god, no." Chris shudders. "The less time I spend in that thing, the better."

"Well, can't complain here. Watching you get out of it is kinda hot." Darren's eyes glaze over as he just remembers what it looks like. 

Chris bites his lip. "Maybe you can help me out of it tonight. A zipper might get stuck or something... you never know..."

Darren's face is all earnestness and innocence as he nods. "Of course, I wouldn't want anything to get hurt as you try to wiggle out of it. If I could be of any assistance..."

"I'm so lucky to have helpful friends." Chris smiles, noting the eager way Darren is looking at him and feeling better about everything. 

*

After the show, Darren is bouncing just as high as he had been on stage. The adrenaline rush from the crowd is still with him and he can't slow down. 

"Tonight was amazing, and now we get to go out and get a little drinky on," he sings, running his hands down Chris' backside as the man bends over to undo Kurt's boots.

Chris wiggles his butt a little for Darren's enjoyment. "Ashley wants to split a ride with us. Anyone else going to the same place? Is Harry meeting - I can't remember her name, sorry."

"Stephanie? Yeah, I think he's meeting her there. I think Jenna and Heather are going too. Don't know about the other guys." Darren jerks off his tie and throws it onto the counter, quickly shedding his costume. 

Chris grabs the tie and stuffs it into his pocket. He knows the costumers have dozens of extra. So many Warblers and so many of them prone to sweating or dripping food or just flat out losing them... they can spare this one. 

When Darren's dressed again they head out to where the cars provided for them are. Ashley isn't there yet, it's only Harry waving at them. He doesn't come over, and after a second Chris realizes his phone is to his ear and he's talking into it. 

"Well, just us so far," Chris says, sliding an arm daringly around Darren's waist. 

“Wouldn’t make a bad trip at all,” Darren responds, turning in Chris’ arms slightly so he can wrap his own around Chris’ waist and pull him in. “We could do a bit of dancing…” He starts, moving his hips back and forth and pulling Chris’ along with him.

“Bit of dancing?” Chris asks, like he’s maybe considering it. “And a bit of… anything else…?”

It’s only been a couple of days since they’ve fooled around together, but Chris would claim youth and hormones if pressed for an excuse for how badly he wants Darren again right now. 

Darren’s breaking into a smile already. “Oh, I bet we could do more than a bit of anything else,” Darren replies. His hips move from a slow dance into a bit of a harder grind as Darren rubs his already half-hard cock into Chris’ hip to show how interested he is in that development.

“Hey now, PG-13, you never know what kidlets are lurking in the bush to get an autograph!” Ashley shouts, swaggering over wearing an eye-popping outfit of bright purple and shiny black leggings.

Chris spins around, standing in front of Darren with his ass pressed to Darren’s crotch. “Ash!” He keeps hold of Darren’s hand with one of his hands and waves to her with the other.

“Ooh, you’re a naughty boy, aren’t you?” Darren breathes into Chris’ ear. He knows what Chris is doing, how he’s teasing and yeah, Darren likes it. He subtly grinds into Chris’ ass before Chris pulls away to hug Ashley.

“Are we almost ready?” Darren asks hopefully, looking around as he spots Harry walking up.

“Yeah, I’m catching a ride with Stephanie so you guys go on!” Harry waves them on.

They all pile into the car and head for the club, Darren giving directions. He’s practically bouncing in his seat next to Chris for the ride, leg bouncing and hand still clasped in Chris’. Ashley keeps giving them the eye but she stays quiet, just talking with Chris.

At the club, they pile out, Darren talking with the driver about how to get in touch with him to pick them up later before they head towards the door. Darren isn’t well known enough to be recognized when he goes out, and certainly not in NYC, so he begins to tug them towards the line but the bouncer must recognize Chris because he points them out and waves them inside.

Chris doesn’t even have to bother with a fake ID most places anymore. He’s either recognized or someone with him is recognized.

One of the perks of being a tv star. It does make him a little hesitant to be so openly affectionate with Darren, but… Darren doesn’t seem to care. And Darren is the ‘straight’ one, after all. Gay Guy Cuddles With Guy isn’t exactly headline news.

 

Ashley is in and pulling them to the bar immediately and who is Darren to argue. “I like your style, Fink!” He yells over the music, signaling for a bartender as soon as he can. He orders them a round of tequila shots and a beer for himself before turning to Ashley and Chris to get their orders.

“Bottoms up, guys,” he toasts, handing out the shots and the limes when they arrive, giving Chris a wink with his.

“I hate tequila!” Chris says, but he’s grinning as he downs it. He’s very proud of his newfound ability to pull a shot without gagging. Once he’s had a few more he’ll probably be drunk enough to actually brag about it.

He loops his arm through Darren’s and leans into him.

“Shall we dance?” Darren asks, lips on Chris’ ear as he watches Ashley leave, finding someone of her own to play with. His hand travels down Chris’ side and grabs his ass as he waggles his eyebrows at him. 

Chris yelps and jumps, then narrows his eyes at Darren. “Hey now, grabby hands. I’m not that easy. Buy me dinner first… liquid dinner. The shot was just the appetizer.”

Darren turns back to the bar and grabs a beer, handing it over to Chris. “This work to get those pants loosened…?

"I thought you liked them painted on," Chris grabs Darren's hand and puts it back on his ass, encouraging another grope. 

"Oh baby, I do love them painted on." Darren squeezes and gropes to his contentment. "I just like them on the floor of the hotel room even more," he whispers into Chris' ear. 

Chris laughs. "You're cheesy. That shouldn't even work, you know. But it does." 

Darren smirks. "Everything works for me, baby," he teases Chris. 

"Push your luck and your right hand might end up having to work," Chris teases right back. 

"Aw yeah? You like my right better than my left, huh?" Darren banters right back. 

"I meant for you." Chris reaches down and picks up Darren's hand, stroking feather light fingertips down Darren's knuckles. "Maybe that'd be fun anyway. I'd like to watch you jerk off for me."

“Yeah?" Darren asks, curling his fingers around Chris. "Anything else you'd like to see?"

"Everything," Chris admits. He drinks down half his beer and then puts it on the bar. "Dance?" 

"You fucking know it," Darren replies, taking Chris' hand and leading him out onto the dance floor.

* 

Darren spends four songs wrapped around Chris before he begs off to piss and get another drink. His phone has been vibrating in his back pocket all night and he takes a moment to pull it out to check. Mia's been texting, trying to find him, and Darren quickly types out the name of the club and sends it off, before stumbling slightly into the bathroom. 

Chris is waiting when Darren comes back, pleasantly drunk and itching for more than a dance. He doesn't even give Darren a chance to say hi again, just shoves him against a wall and grinds into him. The light in the club is low and he doesn't even care if someone did see. He just wants Darren, right now. 

"Let's go," he whispers in Darren's ear. "I want to do so many things to you, and I need a bed to do them in."

Darren's eyes are wide and his dick is quick to rise. "Fuck, yes sir," he breathes, letting Chris drag him bodily out of the club. They don't even have time to tell Ashley or Harry or call the driver back. Darren just hails one of the cabs outside and gives the address for the hotel. He's not about to tell a handsy, horny Chris to slow down. 

Chris slides into the cab first and pulls Darren straight into his lap. He lets Darren kiss him greedily and runs his hand up and down Darren's thigh. "I really want to fuck you tonight," Chris whispers. "Do we - can we?"

"Fuck yeah, we can," Darren groans. He moves until he's straddling Chris and begins rubbing up against him, grinding them together. 

Chris loves how overwhelmed he feels when Darren kisses him this intensely. He whines and lets Darren take control of everything. 

Their driver clears his throat a few times but Darren ignores him. He can pay well to compensate him and in the meantime he's going to fuck Chris' mouth with his tongue. He leans over Chris, dominating the kiss and pushing his tongue in and then pulling back. He does it over and over again, as if fucking him. 

The cab comes to a stop and Chris doesn't even realize it until Darren is pulling off of him. "No," he whines at first, but then remembers that stopping means hotel and hotel means bed. 

He scrambles out and leaves Darren to pay. 

Darren tosses the man two twenties, more than enough for their cab fare and grabs Chris' hand, jerking him hard back in against his body. "I think... you promised me a little something..." He whispers, hand running down Chris' body to grab at the bulge in his pants. "Oh yeah, that right there. There it is."

"Yours," Chris pants. "All yours. But - inside. We need inside." 

And to not be caught photographed with dicks hard and clothes half off while they get there. 

"Good idea." Darren pulls away from Chris with one last squeeze, leaving him in a lurch as he slips away. He looks over his shoulder and winks at Chris, holding the door open for him. 

Stumbling back to, or up to hotel rooms seems like a new hobby to Chris for all the time he's spent doing it lately. Before long, they're pushing the door open to their assigned room for the night and suddenly the nerves of what they're going to do hit Chris. 

Darren's still cruising on pheromones and alcohol as he begins to pick at Chris' shirt and the belt on his sinfully tight jeans. "Come on, baby, come on," he purrs, flicking the belt open as he flicks his tongue into Chris' mouth. "Wanna see you, big boy, aw yeah, that's what I want to see." He reaches down and cups Chris, giving him another squeeze.

"You sound like a porn star," Chris gasps. "I want... I want to be naked, can we be naked?" 

"Oh, oh yeah we can." Darren pulls back a bit and grins. He tugs at Chris' top to pull it off and toss it somewhere behind him. "You should always be naked for me," Darren mumbles before moving in to drop his mouth to Chris shoulder, biting down to see what kind of noises Chris will make. 

"No marks," Chris quickly reminds him, because the cameras do not miss anything and the paleness of his skin is unforgiving. He pushes Darren back so he can start getting Darren's pants off. 

Darren growls, he wants to bite and lick and suck and mark Chris but he knows he's right and he knows he can't. He pulls back and lets Chris go to work on his pants, reaching down to help when his zipper snags slightly. 

"Caref--yeah there we go." He pushes his pants down a bit and his cock sproings out, slapping up and hitting his belly

"It's so... god... I love it," Chris mumbles, staring down at it before he grabs it and starts to jerk Darren off slowly. Darren's cock is bouncier than Chris', standing straight up from his body where Chris' is a bit too heavy for that and hangs lower even when he's fully hard. Chris is fascinated by it in a way he's never been by a dick, even though he's known for quite a while how much he loves dick. 

"Yeah?" Darren's eyes light up a bit and he thrusts his hips forward, pushing into Chris' hands. "Fuck yeah, just like that. Like it, don't you, Chris?" Darren's head falls back and his mouth falls open and he just talks. "Yeah, you love it. Love touching it, stroking it? Love sucking it?"

"All of it," Chris says, feeling him up greedily. He's already leaking precome and it makes the strokes slick and perfect. He grips tighter and pulls harder just to feel the skin shift and the shaft throb. 

Darren groans harder, guttural and low as he feels the pulse low in his belly. "Yeah, fuck, tighter. Yeah, like that--fuck--"

"Can I still fuck you if I make you come now?" Chris asks. "Because I really want to make you come right now."

"You can fuck me any time, baby," Darren assures him. His hips keep jerking as he chases that orgasm. "Fuck me all night if you want to."

Chris grabs the back of Darren's head with his other hand and jams their mouths together, tongue thrusting between Darren's lips. He steps in close and crowds Darren, using his slight size advantage. "Come for me," he orders. "Wanna make you come."

"Yeah fuck, all for you, oh god--" Darren groans and jerks against Chris as he comes hard over Chris' hand and his own stomach. 

Chris kisses Darren through it and when Darren is done Chris grabs his shirt and wipes his hand off quickly. "You have condoms?" He asks, going for his own stash of lube.

"Yeah," Darren pants, taking a moment to enjoy the afterglow of a good fucking orgasm. He reaches back and finds his wallet, digging into it and pulling out a string of condoms, ripping one off and tossing it to Chris. 

"So prepared," Chris says, ignoring the question of how long Darren's had those and how frequently he goes through them. He grabs one and pushes Darren onto the bed with one hand. 

Darren's grin is huge as he goes back and lays down for Chris, his legs spreading wide and fast for him. 

Chris hesitates slightly. "You sure you want to do it this way? You wouldn't rather fuck me?" 

He’s just a little bit afraid of not being good enough.

Darrens brow furrows slightly. "I mean.. hell yeah I want to fuck you but," he looks down at his dick, only half hard on his stomach. "That won't be happening for awhile and besides, I want to feel your cock up in me." Darren's smile is lewd as he shakes his hips at Chris. 

"Oh." Chris grins and hovers over Darren on the bed. "In that case..." 

He grabs the lube and settles between Darren's legs, biting his lip. "Do I need to go slow?"

"Not... I mean don't just ram it up in there," Darren says with a laugh. "But I ... like jerking off with two fingers in myself so I've done that before."

Chris laughs, embarrassed. "Well, I wasn't gonna do that. I mean, I want to be able to fuck you again later, so it's in my best interest not to do any damage..." 

He rubs two fingers over Darren's hole, letting one press just barely inside with a teasing, dry push before he snaps open the lube and gets some out to work with.

Darren wiggles his ass as Chris just pushes the tip in. He wants more and he moans happily when Chris uses the lube to push two inside him. "Yeah, oh good--"

Chris gets three in and Darren is so tight around him. His cock is twitching just imagining how it'll feel to be in there. He wipes the lube off on the discarded, already come stained t-shirt and then grabs the condom to slide it on. 

"Hurry--" Darren pants, wanting Chris inside him already. He tries to clench down on something but there is nothing there for him to push against and his hole opens and closes around nothing. 

The lube goes a little bit everywhere but Chris doesn't care. He rubs the excess around Darren's hole and pushes a little in and then he's lining up his cock and going forward - not (as Darren said) ramming anything in but making it one steady gentle push that doesn't stop until he's balls deep. 

Darren grunts out loud, his eyes rolling back in his head as Chris bottoms out against his ass. "Yeah, fuck move," Darren begs. He grasps at Chris' hips and urges him on. 

"I can't," Chris snaps back, breathing in hard and letting it out slowly. "I'm too - I need a minute. Sorry, fuck, I'm..." 

Two seconds away from blowing and he really wants to last more than that. Darren whines but he doesn't say anything, just strokes and massages Chris' ass as he lets Chris pause and breathe. 

After a minute Chris feels like he can actually move again, testing it with little thrusts in and out. He drops his head to Darren's shoulder and starts moving faster and harder, no longer right on the brink.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it," Darren encourages. He begins to rock up into Chris, meeting him for each thrust. "Oh fuck, you feel so good in me, fuck yeah just--" he pushes down harder, sliding the rest of the way onto Chris' cock and breaking into a whine.

"Look at you," Chris says, mesmerized by the look on Darren's face. "Fucking yourself on me. God, you love it, don't you?"

Sweat is popping out on Darren's hairline and he bites down harder on his bottom lip. "Fuck yeah," he answers with a small laugh. "Your cock is fucking amazing-- fuck--"

"You love it, you love my dick." Chris starts to fuck him harder and fast, bolstered by the effect he's having on Darren. "Gonna come with my dick in you?"

"Oh christ--" Darren's hands fly back, one hand pressing on to the headboard so he has something to push down against. His own cock has gotten harder, filling and leaking onto his stomach. "Yeah, yeah, fuck me. Fuck me, make me come--"

"Fuck, you really are, aren't you?" Chris gasps. Darren's recovery time is rivaling Chris' teenage-like one. He moves up higher on his knees and sits up, grabbing Darren's hips and hauling them onto his lap to try and find a better angle. 

Darren whines, his back arching at an obscene angle as he tries to push himself down harder on Chris' cock. "More, god, please just, need---" Darren babbles, trying to work himself on Chris’ cock, trying to get it to hit that right spot to send him into orgasm.

Chris keeps shifting around, trying to find the right spot until Darren suddenly goes rigid against him and then laughs maniacally. "Right there?" Chris asks, grinning, and grips Darren's hips harder so he can fuck in past that one spot every single time. He wants to come but right now the focus on getting Darren off is distracting enough to keep him distanced from it. 

"Yes, yes, yes, oh fuck yes--" Darren is panting now as Chris keeps working into him. He's too overwhelmed, too turned on to do anything but open himself up wider to let Chris in deeper. His body sags against Chris' arms and Darren pushes down, letting Chris do whatever he wants with him. 

"Do it, come on," Chris says. His hip is starting to cramp up a little bit, he can tell Darren is close. He reaches out and wraps a hand around his cock to try and jerk him off. The rhythm is choppy but Darren reacts wildly, hips thrusting up.

Whining in the back of his throat, Darren works back and forth on Chris: up into his hand and then back onto his cock. It only takes a few thrusts before Darren is right on the edge. With a loud shout, he comes, his cock spurting hard across his stomach. He doesn't come as much as before, but he feels it more, the orgasm leaving his body sagging bonelessly on top of Chris. 

Chris goes still while Darren comes down but as soon as Darren's eyes meet his, Chris is moving again, shifting them around and hovering closer over Darren. He rests his mouth against Darren's jaw and starts to fuck him in short, sharp movements - all he needs to push him over the edge. 

Darren whines in the back of his throat, hands scrambling and fingernails digging into Chris' back. He feels too much, it is too good and he loves it so much. "Do it, do it, fucking shit, do it, Chris--"

He doesn't even need the encouragement, he's already there. He cries out and opens his mouth, hips shoving forward and burying himself in Darren as he fills he condom. 

Darren is panting along with Chris as if he was the one who just came. He wraps his arms around Chris’ shoulders and holds him in close, rocking them together. 

Chris slumps down onto Darren, his hands greedy and grasping at Darren's sweaty skin. "That was amazing," he says, laughter bursting out of him. "Oh, God. I can't feel my toes."

Darren shakes his head. "They're not important right now. Don't worry about them. I'll check to make sure you still have them later." He nudges at Chris' forehead with his own and pulls him into a kiss. 

Chris eventually shifts off to the side, but he still stays sprawled possessively half across Darren. He snuggles in with his head on Darren's shoulder and his cock softening against Darren's thigh, condom still clinging on.

"Tired?" Darren teases him. He reaches down and tugs the condom off of Chris' cock. Tying it off, he heads into the bathroom to toss it and grab a towel. He cleans himself off and then goes back out, using it gently on Chris' spent cock before flopping down next to him on the bed. 

"Like that?" Darren asks quietly as he scoots back in close to Chris. 

"So tired." Chris groans. Laying back on the bed feels amazing, especially once Darren has joined him again. "But I feel so good. Just... being with you." 

Sex has never made him feel quite this sentimental before but he's suddenly craving Darren's arms around him. 

Darren gives him a lopsided grin and pulls him in. "I feel good being with you." Darren presses a quick kiss to his lips and smiles. "Though I might not tomorrow, ask me then, when I have to do all the dancing."

Chris bites his lip. "Sorry." 

He runs a hand down Darren's side and over his ass, letting his fingers tease over Darren's still slightly swollen hole.

"You are so not," Darren says, rolling his eyes. He can see where Chris is smiling, almost beaming with pride.

"No. I'm not." Chris can't hold back the huge smile. "It was good, though? Worth it?"

Laughing, Darren nods. "So worth it," he replies.

"Now sleep," Chris says, glancing over at the clock and not loving the numbers he's seeing on it. He gets up and turns the light off for them, makes sure his phone is plugged in, and then crawls back into bed beside Darren. 

Darren wraps arms and legs around Chris, holding him in tight as they both relax and begin to drift asleep. 

*

The next morning Darren definitely feels the night before in his lower back and in his ass. He groans as he shifts on the bed, the twinge running up his spine. He tries to ignore it and buries his face further into Chris’ neck.

They’ve woken up before the actual wake up call for once, and Chris takes advantage of it by coming out of sleep slowly and with wandering hands. 

“Doing okay?” He asks, fingers circling little patterns on Darren’s hip. 

“Little sore,” Darren admits with a shrug. “Nothing a hot bath and a lot of stretching and medication won’t help to fix though.” He leans up and presses his lips to Chris’, kissing him and not even worrying about morning breath. “Worth it.”

“Want me to kiss it better?” Chris asks, kissing along the corner of Darren’s mouth and down a little to nip just under his jaw. He doesn’t do it hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough that Darren can feel it. He follows it up by dragging his tongue over the stubble on Darren’s skin. “Feels so weird. I’ve never licked stubble before. Never dated a guy that actually had stubble five minutes after he shaved, though, so I guess it’s unavoidable with you…” 

He doesn’t catch his little slip with the dating reference. 

Darren just smirks. “You like it?” He asks, trying to look down at Chris and unable to without crossing his eyes. 

Chris laughs. “You look like an idiot when you do that. But, yes, I like it. A lot…” He glances down between their bodies, a little bit coy. “Can you tell how much I like it?” 

Darren shifts his hips slightly until he feels Chris’ cock hard and leaking against him. “Oh yeah, I can,” he groans. Rocking slowly, Darren rubs their cocks up together until they’re both leaking pre-come onto each other.

“Like this?” Chris asks, hitching one leg over Darren’s thigh. He lets Darren push him over until Darren’s on top of him, rubbing them together. “Oh…” 

Chris grunts a little and works harder at it, making noises whenever the heads of their cock rub and catch. 

“Can you come like this?” Chris asks. He has no doubt that he can.  
.  
“Yeah. I can,” he assures Chris. He continues to rock back and forth until he can see Chris is so close, his face relaxed and mouth hanging open. “Fuck, so gorgeous,” Darren reaches down and circles Chris’ cock, wrapping his fingers around the base and not letting him come as he kisses Chris hard and ruts against him. It doesn’t take Darren long before he’s spurting all over Chris and Chris is whining needy into the kiss. 

“Shh, baby, shh, don’t worry, I got you,” Darren assures him. He takes a moment, recovering from his own orgasm before sliding down Chris’ body to take his cock in his mouth and begin to suck hard on it. 

Chris _shouts_ at Darren’s mouth on him. It’s so much, almost too much, but it feels good enough that he doesn’t tell Darren to stop. He’s so hard and everything feels achy and tight and overwhelming and barely a minute passes before he’s shuddering and kicking his foot out ridiculously and spilling into Darren’s mouth. 

Darren swallows around Chris and continues to suck him hard, drawing more from him until Chris is writhing and begging and shooting just a bit more into his mouth. Darren pulls off of Chris’ cock with a lewd pop, letting his tongue play with the head before he pulls back and looks up at Chris. A bit of come has slipped out and slid out of the corner of his mouth and Darren keeps his eyes on Chris as he licks it back up.

“Too much,” Chris whines, pushing him back. He laughs breathlessly and grabs for Darren, wanting more kisses. 

It’s the perfect start to the day. 

* 

Lunch, rehearsal, show - just like all the other cities they’ve been in, but there’s an extra level of excitement this time. They’re playing New York, a city that means something to anyone in show business, and after that… Europe. 

It’s not really a vacation, but at the same time it kind of is. Chris is especially high on the knowledge of where they’ll be in a few days. 

The show is flawless, like the ones the past few nights have all been, and there is an extra fizzle of electricity in the air with everyone as they all run off the stage at the end. There is a break, a long one, before Europe and everyone is excited. Darren is humming as he follows Chris into their changing room, quickly shedding his shirt and then moving immediately to his pants. 

“So,” Chris asks while he strips off his clothes. “Going out tonight? One last night in the city?” 

His hesitation the last couple of nights has waned. It’s not something he’s actively thinking about, but given that they crossed a couple boundaries they hadn’t yet the night before, he’s feeling pretty good about everything. 

Darren rubs at his chin where there is already a bit of stubble beginning to re-grow despite his shave before the show. “Yeah, yeah absolutely!” He answers. “I mean, it’s New York City! Our last night here, there is no way we can’t go out again tonight!” His grin is huge as he grabs for his clothes, quickly changing into them and leaving his costume for the wardrobe department.

“Dinner first?” Chris asks. “I’m starving.” 

They’d done a little promo work in the middle of the day, so lunch had been a rushed affair. 

Darren shrugs and nods. “Food sounds amazing,” he agrees. “Should I send Ashley a text? Maybe see what everyone is doing…?”

Chris is a little disappointed. He’d liked the idea of stealing some time away alone with Darren. He’s had that itch under his skin all day, the dizzying rush of fresh… whatever it is. Infatuation? Interest? He’s afraid to give it any credence past that. But they’ll have four days after this, so he smiles and says, “Yeah. That sounds good.” 

An hour later they’re commanding a long table in the private back room at a busy restaurant, laughing and putting in their drink orders. Most of the group is there along with a handful of friends and significant others, almost an impromptu party to celebrate the end of this leg of the tour. 

Darren is sitting right by Chris, leaning into him and against him, their shoulders rubbing up against each other as Darren leans in to whisper into his ear about their waiter. The guy is attractive and keeps eyeing Chris and Darren doesn’t mind sitting closer just to prove a point. 

Chris only has eyes for Darren right now, though. He laughs when Darren mentions that the waiter is into him. “Lies. You’re the only one blind and/or misguided enough to find anything interesting here…” 

Darren laughs and shakes his head. He wants to press another kiss to those lips but he can’t, not like this, so open in front of everyone. He doubts many of them would even care, most of them probably know they’re hooking up or at least assume they are but…. there is assuming and seeing. And there are a lot of eyes at their private table. 

Instead he just licks his own lips and leans in closer again to whisper to Chris. “Definitely not blind or misguided … if you wait five minutes to follow me into the bathroom I’ll show you just how not misguided I am.” He gives Chris a wink and stands up, heading for the mens room. 

Chris waits the five minutes, but barely. He’s up and on his feet heading towards the men’s room, not stopping for anyone that tries to get his attention. 

He pushes open the door and then grabs Darren, spinning him around to push him back against it and kiss him. 

Darren has enough presence of mind to click the lock in place so they’re not interrupted as he begins to kiss Chris back. “God, baby,” he moans, fingers in Chris’ lapels, hauling him in closer. “Fuck, you taste so good.”

“Oh my god, are going to have sex in the restaurant?” Chris tries to stifle his giggles against Darren’s mouth. 

He might be amused but he’s also entirely into it and on board. 

Darren grins. “You wanna….?” He asks, waggling his eyebrows as lewdly as he can. He hopes it comes across as sexy (he has a suspicion it might just look cheesy but he can do laughing, he can work with that). 

He leans in and answers with his lips pressed to Darren’s. “I wanna…” 

And then the banging on the door starts. 

“Yo, I know you two assholes locked the door. I gotta pee!” Mark is loud and obviously well into his cups. “Come on, horndogs. Stuff it back in your pants, it’ll keep! And my bladder will not!”

Darren groans. “Fucking hell, Mark,” he mutters, throwing the lock on the door and pulling it wide open. “You couldn’t hold off pissing for like half an hour? Fucking seriously?” Darren glares at him and grabs Chris’ hand, dragging him out of the bathroom. 

Chris gives Mark a sheepish look. Mark just gives him a thumbs up in return. 

Chris grabs Darren around the waist before they get back to the room everyone else is at. “Hey,” he whispers in Darren’s ear, sliding his hand down Darren’s stomach to palm over his cock. “I’ll make that up to you later.” 

He knows what he wants from the night already. He wants Darren to fuck him. 

Darren smiles and grinds up into Chris’ palm. “Yeah? He’s happy to hear you say that.” Darren is half-hard from their bathroom rendezvous and Chris’ promise isn’t doing anything to help him go back down. 

They sit back down at the table and order food. Chris really is starving but his attention is divided between the food and Darren. He keeps a hand on Darren’s thigh as often as he can, teasing him and keeping him at a low level of arousal the whole time they’re there. 

People begin to wander off once the food is all finished, heading towards clubs or bars or just back to hang out with friends in town. 

Chris is happy to follow Darren wherever Darren is going. 

*

There is another club nearby that many of the others are heading towards and Darren is game. He walks, Chris beside him, towards the club and is ushered into the private entrance on the side. 

“I could so get used to this,” Darren says quietly as they emerge into the club, bass pounding and people dancing and talking all around them. “Ashley and some of the Warblers were going to be here. I think Titus, Curt and Riker said they would be here.”

“Awesome,” Chris says. He doesn’t really care much about anyone else, though. He hangs close to Darren. 

At the bar Darren gestures to the bartender, getting Chris a beer and himself a whiskey. He hands Chris’ drink over, clinking their glasses together before knocking some of his own back. His phone vibrates in his back pocket and Darren pulls it out, noticing a few texts from friends, and two from Mia. He types in where he’s at, sure she wouldn’t mind swinging by so he could say good-bye since they’ll be leaving pretty early in the morning for the airport. 

Chris notices Darren texting but he doesn’t make much of it. Darren even mentioned earlier that his brother might come around. 

He’s kind of excited about the idea of meeting Darren’s brother, actually. He’s sure Darren won’t introduce him as… well, anyone special, but… they’ve met each other’s parents already. 

“Is Chuck coming?” He asks, when he notices Darren on his phone a second time barely five minutes later.

“He might, I sent him the name of this place and directions,” he replies. “Mia’s coming out to say hi as well since we’re leaving early in the morning.” He turns and grabs for his whiskey, drinking and finishing it off before signaling for another. 

Darren misses the look on Chris’ face, like he’s just been struck. “Oh,” he says faintly, but the crowd around them is loud and Darren doesn’t hear. 

"Yeah, sort of a 'Hey good to see you, have fun in Europe' kind of thing," Darren says with a nod. He looks around the crowd at all the dancing people before finishing his beer. "Hey, want another?" He asks, shaking his empty bottle at Chris. 

"No," Chris says, leaning back a little more. "I think I'm good for now."

"Okay," Darren nods and goes over to the bar, flagging the bartender down to order another. It takes some time to grab one and get a drink and by the time he has one he can't seem to find Chris, losing him in the huge crowd of people.

Chris is lost on purpose, escaping to Ashley. She's talking to someone but steals away quickly when she sees the look on his face. 

"I might split early tonight," Chris says. He knows he sounds tense and he hopes he can fake it better for anyone else. 

"Split? As in just you? As in without your attached curly haired boy toy?" She raises an eyebrow at Chris for further explanation. They've spent the past two weeks inseparable, especially at night. 

Chris shrugs. "Yeah, well. He's got someone else coming by that I think he might be a little more attached to. Or at least has been attached to on a semi-regular basis for a longer time..." 

Yeah, he definitely sounds about as grumpy as he feels. 

"Woah, woah, hold up," Ashley takes a step back before grabbing Chris' hand to drag him into a quieter corner. "Homeboy has someone else coming here to meet him? And they're gonna shack up?" 

Chris shrugs. "She's apparently someone he's been with off and on for a while, so..." 

He still feels that awful twist of shame and embarrassment when he thinks about it.

"Someone he's been on and off with? While hooking up with you all tour? No." Ashley shakes her head and takes him by the hand again. "You are not going home early, babe. You are staying here with me and you are going to get it on with as many attractive New York boys as possible." 

She drags him into a throng of people, dancing bodies all around them. "I knew he was no good. Anyone that charismatic has to be hiding something. No one is that nice."

"No, no, Ash, I really do not want to-" Chris stops because he really does want to leave but he also sees Darren by the door now, with his arm around a girl that's... gorgeous, actually. Wild hair and red lipstick and tight skirt and Darren's smiling at her and it's a genuine smile. Chris' heart sinks even more. 

Ashley sees Chris' face fall and she turns to where he's looking. She makes her own face before turning back to Chris. 

"Babe," she starts, snapping her fingers at him. "Want to hit a different bar? I hear there is this amazing little gay bar right down the street." She waggles her eyebrows at him, hoping for a bit of levity and a smile on his face. 

"... yeah," Chris says, nodding. He doesn't want to be here anymore, doesn't want to have to watch Darren and Mia together. "Yeah, let's go." 

* 

An hour later he's had more alcohol than is probably advisable in a fairly short period of time and it's all hitting him hard. He's not even sure where Ashley is anymore but right now it doesn't seem to matter. He's grinding against a cute and tall blonde who has two handfuls of his ass and a tongue in his mouth. Chris isn't even sure what he's doing can be called actively kissing back but this guy doesn't seem to need much to go on. 

It's not great, but it's not bad either. He's attractive and he's about as close to Darren as.... well, as Chris is to Mia, so maybe Darren has the right idea. A little diversity to spice things up. 

*

Mia has her arms around Darren and they’re dancing to the beat but Darren keeps scanning the crowd. He hasn’t seen Chris since he went to get another beer and Mia showed up.

“You see your boy yet?” She asks, her fingers playing with the hair at the base of his head.

“No.” He frowns and looks around one more time. “Maybe I should call him? I think he might have left.”

“Without you?”

Darren shrugs as best he can with her arms on his shoulders. “Maybe? I don’t know, he was acting a bit off earlier. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well.”

“Well, come on then.” Her arms slide down and she grabs Darren’s hand, dragging him outside where he can hear better. Darren thumbs Chris’ number into his phone and listens to it ring before going to voicemail twice before he gives up.

“I think I’ll just head back. He’s not answering and he might really not be doing well.” Mia nods and fixes the lapels of Darren’s shirt.

“Alright. Well, I hope he feels better.”

“Thanks.” Darren reaches out and pulls her into a hug. “Good to see you though, thanks for stopping by.”

“Of course, darling. You go have fun in Europe and be a star.” She leans in and gives him a kiss on the lips and then again on his cheek, her bright red lipstick staining. He laughs and pulls back out of her arms before waving to her as he goes to find the cab rank.  
*

Chris actually isn’t doing too well but it’s more to do with his bout of emo heartache and how much he’s had to drink than anything else.

The guy - Colin, he tells Chris, though Chris forgets almost immediately - wants to go back to his hotel room and Chris says no a couple times but a hand rubbing against his back feels good and Colin has a nice voice. Not as nice as Darren, but… who really is?

Darren’s off with someone else. Someone else gets to see how nice he is. Chris rubs over his heart where the hurt is, without even realizing he’s doing it, and then he looks at Colin and says, “Okay. Okay, hotel - um, Ash, gotta find… Ash…”

He grabs his phone and sees a bunch of missed calls. Darren’s name is there a few times.

Chris shoves the phone back into his pocket. Ashley isn’t around and the music is loud and Chris is sweaty and starting to feel a little sick.

He grabs Colin’s hand. “Come on,” he says. “Hotel.”

He can barely tell the cabbie where he’s staying, and he’s pretty sure he falls asleep once or twice on the ride there. Colin either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care but the fresh air and the moments of quiet help clear Chris’ head.

He already knows he doesn’t really want this when he gets out of the cab at the hotel but he’s got a guy with him and he isn’t sure how to comfortably say that this isn’t what he needs.

Besides, he thinks, maybe it is what he needs. Maybe some other guy will be like ripping the bandaid off. And Colin is cute. Maybe not that bright, but… he doesn’t need someone for intelligent conversation right now.

When they step into the elevator Chris pushes Colin against the wall and kisses him with a renewed sense of purpose.

*

Finding a cab shouldn’t take as long as it does. Each one he tries to hail drives on, ignoring him and what is the use on being on a national primetime television show if he can’t even hail a cab out of it? Finally he breaks down and calls one of their own drivers to come and get him hoping that that doesn’t take as long.

Once at the hotel though, he has to talk to the hotel staff and convince them to give him a key to Chris’ room (whichever one that is). Thankfully, that is a lot easier done through charm and winning smiles (and also his status as part of the group with Fox). Keycard in hand he rides the elevator up to the room, feeling the night begin to hit him. It isn’t a late night by any means but last night was and he’s still a bit sore from that and all the dancing he has done today. An earlier night in for them might not be a bad idea.

H slips the keycard into the lock, waits for the green light to turn before opening the door. The lights are off but the stream of moonlight in from the window makes it easy to make out the two people standing by the bed, entwined together kissing.

“Oh, oh excuse me--” Darren starts to say, thinking that they must have given him the key to the wrong room. He begins to back out when his eyes adjust to notice a familiar swoop of hair and an increasingly too familiar moan. “.... Chris?”

“Shit.” Chris jerks back from Colin. His head is swimming and even moving a little bit like that makes him woozy. “Darren? I - where’s Mia?”

“Not here,” Darren points out, still standing in the open doorway. “Probably still at the bar we were at.” Darren eyes the possessive way the other man is holding onto Chris’ hips and it burns. His fingers flex and curl as he itches to reach out and smack the other man's hands away but he really isn’t sure what’s going on.

Chris is confused and guilty - why should he feel guilty? But he does.

“Sorry for interrupting. I think Harry has an open bed, I’ll let you guys … get back to it,” Darren finally says as he steps back to close the door.

“No!” Chris stumbles back even more, eyes flying between Colin and Darren.

“Uh…” Colin looks confused. “You uh, got something going on here I should know about? I wasn’t trying to get with someone else’s guy, man. I can just head out… in fact, I think I’ll just… it’s early, I’m gonna head back to the club. It was nice to meet you, Chris.”

“Yeah. Okay,” Chris says, not even bothering to correct him. At this point he’s not going to sleep with Colin anyway. “Sorry.”

Colin doesn’t really look at Darren as he walks out.

Darren lets the door close behind Colin, leaving him and Chris alone in the dark.

“So,” Darren starts. “Where did you find him?” He moves over to Chris when he notices the man swaying on his feet. Darren leans in a bit more and his eyes widen at the powerful wall of tequila he can smell. “Chris are you…? Are you drunk?”

Chris blinks at him and shrugs. “I - yeah. I’m… wow. I’m drunk. I haven’t been this drunk - have I ever been this drunk? I had a lot… he bought me shots. I hate shots. They’re mean to me. And I don’t… I shouldn’t have let him. But he was nice, and Mia…” He waves his hand, like that will make sense.

“And Mia…?” Darren repeats, trailing off for him to finish. Chris doesn’t say anything but sways again on spot and Darren wraps an arm around his waist to help keep him steady. “Good lord, he must have bought you a lot.”

“Ashley got some too. She didn’t want me to be sad.” Chris rests his head on Darren’s shoulder. Some little distant part of him realizes exactly what he’s doing but it’s like he can’t make the rational thought break through the weird fuzzy cotton candy wall in his mind to get to his mouth. “‘cause you were with Mia, and she’s pretty.” 

Darren frowns and slowly helps Chris walk to the bathroom. “You’re sad because Mia is pretty?” He’s not entirely sure what is affecting Chris but he thinks he’s starting to get an idea. 

“I’m sad because. I don’t know.” Chris sighs. He’s not sure where Darren is taking him but he doesn’t really think to ask. “She’s really pretty. And she’s your - person. To be with. And you…” 

Chris reaches up and swipes his thumb over the smear of lipstick on Darren’s cheek, and then the same hint of color on his bottom lip. Then he sighs and puts his head back on Darren’s shoulder. 

“She’s my person to be with,” Darren repeats. He pulls Chris into the bathroom and turns the light on. Chris screws up his face, shutting his eyes at the bright light and Darren shakes his head. “Oh Chris.” 

Darren reaches out to brush a lock of falling hair off of Chris’ forehead. “We need to talk but… when you’re sober. Not right now. Let’s just get you through the potential hangover you’re going to have first.”

Chris kind of loses track of what happens in the half hour that follows. He remembers drinking water, vaguely, and then throwing it up, and then throwing up even more, and then probably throwing up what he had for breakfast the weekend before, and then there’s a shower that leaves him feeling at least clean if not good. 

Then he’s in bed and the blankets around him are warm. “I’m sorry,” he says, voice wobbling though luckily he isn’t actually crying. 

“I know,” Darren says quietly. “I’m sorry too.” He lays in bed behind Chris, taking him in his arms and kissing the back of his neck. It is intimate and perhaps too much after everything but right now Darren just wants to hold Chris tightly. 

* 

Chris wakes up feeling more hungover than he ever has in his life, and that’s still nothing compared to how embarrassed he is. 

He can’t even move at first. His stomach turns violently and he keeps his eyes squeezed shut, trying hard to breathe without hurling. And the guy… he’s still here. Chris can’t even remember his name, just that he left with someone and someone is behind him now. 

His first drunken one night stand. Won’t his parents be so proud. 

Darren is normally a heavy sleeper. It takes a serious bomb blast to get him up and out of bed but with Chris sick and hungover, Darren sleeps light, worried that something will happen to him if Darren isn’t careful. 

When Chris groans and tries to slip out of his arms, Darren tightens his grasp, keeping him from going anywhere. “Are you going to be sick? Do you need water?” Darren asks, sitting up and slipping out of bed. He finds the trashcan and the ever present bottle of Fiji that every hotel room has, quickly pressing it into Chris’ hands. 

Chris puts his hands on his legs and keeps breathing. Fuck. It’s not some guy. It’s Darren. Chris isn’t even sure if that’s better or worse. 

But he does know he left with the other guy, so that means… 

“Sick,” he announces, but pushes past Darren and makes it into the bathroom in time. 

He spends about fifteen minutes brushing his teeth afterward, and then washes his face twice before he goes back out to see Darren. 

Darren is pacing nervously and only stops to look up when he hears the bathroom door open. “How are you doing? Do you need anything at all?” He checks, moving over to Chris to help him sit down on the edge of the bed. Darren has drawn the light blocking curtains and kept the room dark, sure that Chris’ head must be killing him. 

“Water,” Chris says. “And every type of headache medicine known to man. All at once. Overdosing would hurt less than this.”

He curls up on the bed on his side. At least his stomach feels better now. 

Darren nods. “Okay, yeah, I can do that.” He grabs a pair of pants and a shirt, pulling them on and grabbing the keycard. “I’ll be right back.” He stands awkwardly right by the bed before he reaches out to touch Chris’ shoulder, patting him before leaving. 

He could just get the front desk to get him whatever he needs but he has a feeling Chris might appreciate a moment or two by himself and Darren is less concerned with him choking on his own vomit in the middle of the night now that he is awake. He slips out the front door of the hotel and hits up a local bodega, buying a large bottle of aspirin, two big water bottles and an entire 2 liter of Diet Coke. 

Chris grabs his phone while Darren is gone and scans his texts. Three from Ashley, from this morning, asking if he’s all right. 

_I’m alive. We’re talking later,_ he writes to her, because right now he wants to be angry at someone and she’s the one that took him to that bar and fed him shots and encouraged him to dance with a really attractive guy… okay so maybe she didn’t do anything wrong, but. He’s still angry. 

Then he sees all the calls and messages from Darren the night before and he feels sick again for reasons entirely unrelated to his hangover. He sighs and puts the phone away. 

Darren knocks gently on the hotel room door before he lets himself in. “Hey, how are you feeling?” He asks, setting his bags down on the desk. “I got you some aspirin and some water,” he adds, pulling the items out and handing them over to Chris. “I also got you some Diet Coke to help and I wasn’t sure if you were feeling hungry but I did find this place that had some amazing smelling breakfast tacos and grabbed some in case you needed something to eat.”

“Thanks.” The tacos do smell good, but Chris isn’t sure he can get anything down. “So how badly did I embarrass myself last night?”

Darren runs a hand along the back of his neck. “I don’t… I wasn’t with you most of the night. I’m sorry, Chris, I shouldn’t have just gone off and not stayed with you. I don’t know …. what it was like with you and… that guy, I didn’t catch his name, but you weren’t, it wasn’t that bad. When he left I mean. You were fine. Well, drunk but fine.”

“Colin. That was his name,” Chris mutters to himself, remembering. At least that mystery is solved. “Well, I’m glad… I don’t know what you were doing here but I’m glad I didn’t… you know. With him. And you don’t have to apologize, you’re not my babysitter or anything. You had other plans. I knew that.”

Darren moves so he can sit by Chris. “I was coming back here to… Doesn’t matter.” Darren goes quiet and looks at his hands clasped together in his lap. “I do think we need to talk,” he says finally, looking up at Chris. 

“Yeah.” Chris closes his eyes. His head is still throbbing so he speaks quietly. “I don’t think I can do this kind of… thing. The thing you do, with seeing more than one person at the same time. I thought I could, but I can’t. This isn’t working for me.”

Darren frowns. “Is that why you left last night with Colin? You thought I was going to go home with Mia?”

“Yeah. You were with her a couple nights ago, and your friends… back in Chicago? They all knew how it was with Mia. All of that made it pretty clear how you do relationships. And I know you never told me that you and I were exclusive, so it’s not like I’m trying to accuse you of anything. I knew what we were doing, I just thought I could handle it. And I can’t. I was miserable last night. Obviously,” he adds with a bitter laugh. 

“I… Know what my friends said,” Darren admits readily. “I won’t disagree, I’ve done a lot of relationships that way. Sometimes it’s good and works, other times not as much.” He shrugs a bit to himself. “I wasn’t going to go off with Mia last night, not that it means anything now, I guess, but I wasn’t. For one, sex with you is kinda… awesome,” he says with a small laugh. “But yeah I mean, I didn’t know… what would happen with us when this started. Where it would go or what we would want. I just figured, we could have fun and … I like having fun with you, Chris.”

“I didn’t know what would happen or what we’d want either. And we have been having fun, but I’m just not cut out for this.” Chris looks down at his hands. “I’m the kind of person that likes knowing where the lines are, and there are no lines with you. Nothing is defined. After a while just having fun isn’t fun for me anymore. I want to know where I stand, and you like things relaxed and all just… go with the flow. That’s not me. That’s why I was miserable last night.” 

“I’m so sorry, Chris,” Darren whispers. He reaches out and takes Chris’ hand, lacing their fingers together and rubbing his thumb over the back of Chris’ hand. “I never wanted to make you feel badly about this.”

“I just think I need a break. From… this. You.” It’s hard to admit but right now he just wants to be alone. Darren’s hand feels good on his and he has to fight the urge to cling to it and squeeze. “I didn’t realize how hard… how much… well. I think I’m in a little deep.” 

“From me,” Darren repeats, laughing bitterly at himself. He likes Chris. A lot. And he would love to protest what Chris is saying, take his hand and say ‘Let’s do it. Let’s be together just you and I’. 

But. 

But he’s worried about doing something again, of rushing too fast into something else and hurting Chris worse later. Despite how it hurts, Chris is right. He needs to take a step back and Darren needs to think about what it is he wants from Chris. It isn’t fair to either of them to continue like this. 

He smiles and lifts Chris hand to his lips and kisses the back. “Don’t… move on immediately,” he asks. “If I can ask that. Don’t forget me right away.”

Chris breathes harder once Darren leaves, eyes burning. But he won’t cry, he won’t… he digs his palms into his eye sockets and swallows it all down. Darren’s last words ring in his ears and he doesn’t really know exactly what Darren means but gets the point regardless. 

Darren doesn’t really have anything to worry about, though. Chris has a feeling this won’t be something he moves past that easily.


	5. Chapter 5

**Somewhere Over the Atlantic**

They fly out that night all of them piled onto the plane, and while before he would have glared at anyone who tried to sit next to Chris, now he lets Ashley take the seat next to Chris and instead sits a few rows back next to Dianna. He knows she won’t ask questions, she’s good like that. And true to what he thought, she just smiles at him and pushes the arm up on her seat and snuggles into him, informing him that by taking the spot next to her he has elected himself to play stand in pillow. There are worse ways to spend 7 hours on a plane. 

Chris sits a few rows up beside Ashley. Despite the company he spends more of the flight writing. Losing himself in imaginary worlds where sex and heartbreak aren't even a thing is exactly what he needs. 

Also maybe to just pretend that Dianna and Darren aren't cuddling a few rows back. He can't help but wonder a little if Darren didn't honor the request he made Chris, if maybe it only took him a day to move on himself. 

But Chris doesn’t know that for Darren, Dianna has always been an innocent friendship. She's unassuming and takes things as they come at her. Darren appreciates that. 

Plugging in his earbuds, Darren closes his eyes and spends the rest of the flight trying to get some sleep. 

 

**Manchester**

They have two free days and before the previous week, Chris had been bubbling over with ideas on how to spend them. There was a little of the obligatory promotion and some rehearsal for the different staging they’d have here, but for the most part… he’s been an anglophile his whole life and he doesn’t want to feel like he’s wasted a second here. 

Except now it’s kind of hard to enjoy anything. He just wants to head straight to the hotel and crawl into bed and not come out until he has to be on stage. Or maybe not even then, since while it’s usually easier being Kurt, that will mean facing Darren. 

They’re bussed to a restaurant as soon as they get in, where they meet and greet with… Chris isn’t even sure who, actually. He hadn’t been paying much attention to that whole speech. He slumps into a seat between Ashley and Lea and wonders if anyone would even notice if he left. 

Darren seems fine, of course. He’s sitting across the table and down a little, laughing with Mark. Nothing seems to keep Darren down for long. 

Darren had himself a brief but necessary long distance call with Julia. It doesn't matter how long they go without talking, she can always read his mind. She had known exactly what he was calling about as soon as she answered the phone and while Darren was unsure about what to do, talking with Julia always settled his mind. She had a way of clearing out the cobwebs that were tripping him up, and re-focusing him on what he wanted and how to get there. 

And now he knew. 

Darren settles down in his spot by Harry and Mark and looks over at Chris by Lea and Ashley. He smiles as soon as he catches Chris' eye. He knows Chris. Can read the pain on his face so easily and it hurts that he put it there, but he has a plan now. He is going to wipe the pain from his face if he has anything to say about it. 

Chris pushes his food around on his plate but doesn't eat much. He's relieved when everyone else is finishing, because they're all jet lagged and just want to get to a bed. He's not even sure who he's splitting with. He doesn't care as long as they leave him alone. 

Darren knows he can't bombard Chris, not after their talk in the hotel. He needs to give him some time, and he needs to do this right. Julia had given him some ideas and yeah, he knows Chris can be sarcastic and cynical at times but... he thinks Julia's ideas may work out well for them. For now Darren makes a few requests and cashes in a few favors and makes sure Chris has a room to himself. He doesn't want Chris to know it came from him, but Darren knows how much Chris would like to have some time to himself. Besides it will make his morning plans a lot easier to do if he has a room to himself. 

Chris is relieved to have the room to himself. He hugs Ashley goodnight (even though it's not quite seven pm) and heads upstairs. 

The next morning, Darren makes a few phone calls. And then he makes a few more. It is early and he doesn't know how much sleep Chris got the night before but, well, he wants to do this before Chris gets stuck in a double and has to explain it to someone else. 

After making the necessary calls, Darren sits back on his bed, ignoring the looks Cory is sending him as he digs a book out of his bag. He has a few hours until they need to be on the stage rehearsing and right now he's hoping that in an hour or two he gets to have a bit of company wandering around sightseeing. 

Chris wakes ridiculously early thanks to the jet lag, but he logs the hours in on his book. It's coming along really well and the early hour also gives him time to take a couple of much needed phone meetings with publishers and agents and Alla. 

The phone call with Alla is a little more like a therapy session than anything else, but she's working for him - he's not going to cut her out of the loop on things that would make her job harder to do. His trust is hard won but she has it. 

He hasn't ordered anything to eat yet and it's still early enough that he wouldn't expect anyone from the tour crew to be coming after him, so he's surprised when there's a knock on the door. He's even more surprised when he answers it and there's a delivery man with three bouquets of flowers. 

"Um. I - wow." Chris stands there dumbly just staring. 

"Mind if I slip in and put these down somewhere?" The delivery kid asks. 

"Oh, right, yes, of course." Chris digs in his pocket for some of the exchanged currency he was given, to tip the guy. When he's left alone again he sits on the edge of his bed and stares at the arrangements. 

Then the second knock on the door comes. 

The third delivery overlaps the second and the fourth is just on the heels of that. Vases begin to pile up in Chris' room; orchids, tulips, lilies, all kinds of flowers in various vases cover every available flat surface in Chris' room when the deliverers are done. It is more like he lives in a small garden than a non-descript hotel room in Manchester, England. 

There is just one card in all the bunches, one plain white index card stuck onto a stick in the middle of a few roses. Scribbled on the card is just a hand drawn heart and a D.  
Chris sits on his bed surrounded by flowers with the card in his hand and he doesn't know what to think but he does know that he can't stop smiling. 

* 

An hour later, when he's positive more flowers won't come, he goes to find Ashley. At least that's his official excuse - he's really hoping he'll end up bumping into a certain someone else. 

Darren had waited as long as possible for Chris to call him but eventually his stomach protests, growling and demanding to eat. He slips out of his room and heads down the hall, hands stuffed in his pockets as he goes. Up ahead he can make out the familiar shape of a very familiar man. 

"Headed for breakfast?" He calls smiling widely when Chris turns. 

Chris turns around, eyes wide. "You. What did you - did you send me all those flowers?"

"Flowers? What flowers? Did you get flowers this morning, Christopher?" Darren asks, feigning surprise. 

Chris can see through that in a split second but he goes along with it. He's almost relieved about it, because it's all just very conflicting to think about too hard. "Yeah, someone sent me a lovely bouquet. Or a dozen of them. Must have been one of my many admirers." 

Darren grins and hits the button for the elevator. "Oh, no doubt. I'm sure the Queen heard you were finally in the country and wanted to give you a proper welcome." He holds the door open for Chris before getting in and hitting the button for the ground floor. 

"Were they nice flowers?" Darren asks, just an edge of hopefulness in his voice. 

Part of Chris wants to be petty but one glance at the expression on Darren's face and he can't. "They were beautiful," he admits. "I don't know what I'm going to do with them considering there's no way I can take them all to London with me, but... they'll be nice to look at tonight." 

"Enjoy them. You deserve them and so many more," Darren says honestly. He stares openly at Chris until the elevator dings and the doors open. 

*

There is a rehearsal that afternoon and then another show that evening. Being in a new country is enough to have all of them excited and running on adrenaline, no matter what time their bodies think it is. When it ends Darren is quick to slip in next to Chris before he runs off. 

"Hey, good job out there, amazing, as always," Darren admits, tipping an invisible hat to him. 

Chris shrugs a little. "You were pretty good, too. Always are." 

He might not know what's going on but talking to Darren feels good. It was only a couple of days but he's gotten so used to Darren's presence all the time. 

Darren beams at Chris with the praise. He's as responsive to it as a retriever. "Hey, there is this really tiny pub-like place by the hotel, saw it when we were coming in. What do you say? Grab a pint? Some actual fish and chips?"

"I don't... I don't know if that's a good idea," Chris admits. He can see Ashley across the room eyeing him. She's a good friend; constantly trying to keep him from doing stupid things. (Unless she's trying to talk him into it.) "I appreciate the flowers but I don't know what they mean and I meant what I said the other day."

Darren holds a hand up to stop Chris' rambling. "Just, as friends," he assures Chris. "I still enjoy your time and company. Like talking to you." He offers a friendly, and what he hopes is non-threatening smile to Chris. "If it is too much, don't worry about it."

As much as Chris wants to just be glad that Darren thinks they can be friends, he's caught off guard by how hard the disappointment hits him that apparently Darren's happy with just friends. 

That he is so disappointed just proves to him why it's a bad idea.

"Not tonight," he says, shaking his head. "Sorry." 

Darren opens his mouth to say something else, the shock and hurt evident on Chris' face but Chris hurries away to Ashley's side. 

Darren sighs, shoving his hands into his pockets and taking his time leaving, allowing Chris time to escape back to the hotel without having to see him. His plans for wooing Chris are going to be a lot more difficult if he keeps putting his foot in it. He's going to have to work harder next time and think of something to apologize for this.

* 

Chris makes it another early night. He's surprised no one challenged him for his single room, but he appreciates the peace and quiet and chance to write. He's turned out a few chapters in just the last couple of days, almost making up for all the time he blew off writing to be with Darren the first weeks of the tour. 

Darren hears from a few of the others that Chris went back to his hotel room straight from the arena. Stopping at the hotel counter, Darren has a word with the concierge staff, trying to slip them a few pound notes for a bit more help. The man there waves him off and assures Darren that what he wants can be done. 

Chris hasn't had much of an appetite and his growling stomach is easily ignored until a knock at the door reveals a man standing there with a bag full of something that smells... amazing, actually. 

"I didn't order this," Chris tries to say. 

The man shrugs. "Room 115, says here right on the ticket. Already paid for, sir. Tipped and everything." 

"Oh. Well. Thank you." Chris wonders if Ashley is responsible for this and sends her a text before he digs into the bag. 

The food is amazing. If this is her doing, he definitely owes her one. 

*

Ashley stares at the text on her phone, frowning. She didn't send Chris food but she's beginning to suspect who might have. She responds back, letting him know it wasn't her as she turns to look around for Darren. She needs to have a few words with the hobbit.

It takes her half an hour and a few texts to other people to find exactly where Darren is now, but she heads into their hotel bar and his laugh is the first thing she hears. 

"Criss!" She shouts, voice bellowing. She gets a few other people's attention but she doesn't really care. "Get your scrawny butt over here, we need to have a little chit chat.”

Darren's eyes widen but he listens and scurries his ass over to her, drink still in hand. He's pretty sure he knows what this ‘chit chat’ is going to entail but he feigns innocence. "Yes? How are you doing this evening, Ashley?"

"Well, see, I'm a little tired off because I've been playing shoulder to cry on for my baby boy for the past three days, and I get a little testy when I'm tired. I'm also a little confused because you blew him off for some hottie with a rack and didn't give him any explanation and now suddenly when your New York piece is an ocean away, you're sending him flowers and mushy peas - you are weird, by the way. So you want to maybe explain what is up?" She lifts an eyebrow at him and waits. 

Darren steps back and folds his arms over his chest. "Not to you I don't, no," he says clearly. He can tell Ashley wasn't really expecting that response so he continues. "I'm not trying to have a relationship with you, Ashley. So if you think I have un-honorable intentions, then call me out but I don't need to explain myself to you. If Chris wants to know, he can come and ask me himself. We both know he has no problem saying something when he wants to."

"Right now I think you're a horny little shrimp whose intentions go about as far as his dick. Which, according to Colfer, isn't too shabby, but still..." She side-eyes him. "I think he did tell you when he had a problem, and I think you're ignoring it."

"Or perhaps I am fixing it. If he has a problem with what I'm doing he can tell me and he and I will work it out like adults. If you have a problem with what I'm doing... well, I'm sorry, Ashley but that's none of your business. If it helps you sleep at night I'll assure you that I do not want to jerk him around or hurt him at all."

"Well, if that's not what you _want_ to do then how about you _stop doing it_? You don't want to talk to me, don't talk to me. But you are confusing the hell out of that boy right now." She sounds irritated, and she is, but she also kind of admires Darren's stubbornness so she throws him a little bone. "Also he thinks I set him up with dinner so if you want credit for that, step the fuck up."

"I'm not trying to do it. I'm trying to fix everything." Darren runs a hand through his hair, fingers catching and tugging on some of the gel that hasn't completely washed out. "I'll let him know it was me, thank you." He steps back from Ashley and the conversation, and grabs his phone, texting Chris to let him know he's glad he got the food and hopes he has a good night. 

Chris assumes it'll be Ashley but it isn't - it's Darren. He stares down at it unsure of what to say for so long that he eventually just gives up, types _thanks_ and then turns the phone on silent so he won't hear it go off again. 

* 

Chris wakes up the next morning from a pleasant dream about walking in a park on Jupiter with Darren. The setting is a little funky and he's not sure why there were green cacti all over the planet surface but the Darren part was nice, at least... in the dream they were holding hands and Darren was singing. 

It makes him sad that it isn't real but he sucks it up and gets ready for the day. A lot of the cast want to do some sightseeing and Chris is joining them. 

Darren joins the sightseeing group. He doesn't push for Chris to be around him, just tries to keep things natural. Still, when he succeeds in getting a two person table with Chris for lunch he calls it a personal victory. 

"Excited to be here?" Darren asks, sitting down with his drink across from Chris. 

"I really am," Chris says, a huge grin on his face. They've visited air raid shelters and a museum already, though after the late lunch they have to head to the venue. "And we get a whole day free in London, it's going to be amazing."

Darren's smile is heartfelt as he is able to feel Chris' excitement. "You already have that day all booked up, don't you?" He teases good-naturedly. "So, hey, I was thinking... There was somewhere I really wanted to check out tonight but I didn't know if anyone else would really be interested in going. Canal Street is apparently the heart of their gay village," Darren pauses to waggle his eyebrows at Chris. "But they filmed a lot of the Queer as Folk UK version there. Even have a lot of the historical gay bars here. I thought you might want to check it out with me?"

Chris immediately sees danger alarms sounding in his mind. "I know what happens when you and I go to bars," he says, voice dropping about as quickly as his mood does. Either he'd end up sleeping with Darren again or he'd watch Darren find someone else. 

"No! I don't--" Darren reaches out to grab Chris' hand but quickly stops himself from what he was about to say. He doesn't want to make this worse for him. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he says quieter, releasing Chris' hand and placing his own right next to it. "But I like you Chris. I enjoy spending time with you and talking to you and... And I asked you not to forget everything between us for a reason Chris." 

"Don't forget all the casual, meaningless sex?" Chris can't keep the bitterness out of his voice. "No need to worry about that, thanks."

Darren screws up his face, running a hand over it. He's trying but he doesn't know how to do this, he isn't romantic and it's hard enough without also feeling like he is running uphill. 

"No, Chris, it was never meaningless," Darren says adamantly. 

But it was casual. Chris understands that Darren cares about him, and he thinks he understands what Darren is trying to do with all of this. Darren hates seeing people upset and he hates feeling like people don't like him. Chris thinks Darren is just trying prove they can be friends so he doesn't feel bad. 

Which would be great if Chris didn't want so much more than just friendship. 

Suddenly the pie Chris had been eating just isn't so appetizing. "I think I'm just going to head out to the bus and write for a while." 

"Chris--" Darren tries again but Chris just pushes away and slips away. Darren groans, frustrated and drops his head in his hands. He keeps trying but it isn't working right. 

He looks up and catches Ashley's gaze and that just frustrates him further. 

"Not _now_ , Fink," he mutters, standing up and heading back to the hotel room before the concert. He has another round of calls to make before tonight. 

* 

The show that night goes well. Chris and Darren can turn it on while they're on stage flawlessly, and the audience at least doesn't know a thing is going on between them besides lighthearted fun in costume. 

Chris disappears back to his laptop every chance he gets between his own numbers to make sure he avoids Darren.

Darren goes back to his own computer, though for a different reason. He does a bit of searching, looking and finally purchasing, and so when the show is over and Chris heads back to the hotel, Darren follows. He stops once more at the front desk, chatting with the people working that he's got to know fairly well. The manager hands him two sheets of paper, wishing him a good luck. 

Darren takes the elevator up, folding the sheets of paper in half and arranging them just right in his hand. He takes a deep breath and walks over to Chris' single and knocks loudly. 

Chris opens the door, not even really surprised to see Darren there. "Hey. I thought you were going to check out those bars tonight?"

Darren shrugs. "Not really interesting without you with me," he replies. Smiling he pushes forward the papers in his hand, eager for Chris to see them. This one is sure to work, Darren is sure.

"Yeah," Darren says softly. "Private tour. The Queen is apparently in Scotland right now so you can go and visit. I thought... Well, seventh closest to the throne should get to see it don't you think?"

"Oh my god, Darren, this is amazing... what... why did you... why are you giving me these? Are you - I mean - oh god, you are giving me them, aren't you, you're not just showing me or something? I don't understand- a _private tour_ -" He throws his arms around Darren's neck. 

"I want you to have fun in London," Darren says quietly into Chris' ear. His arms wrap around Chris and hold him tight. 

Chris is surprised at how tightly Darren hugs him back. He swallows hard and tries to convince himself to let go. "There are two tickets. Should I... invite Ashley?"

Darren opens his mouth, feeling hurt but pushing past it. "That's... if that’s who you want to go with. I was hoping..." He said trailing off and looking up at Chris a bit sheepishly. 

"... that I would want to go with you?” Chris guesses. He can tell from Darren’s face that he guessed right. “Why?” 

Darren shrugs. “Because I want to spend time with you.” 

“Darren." Chris sighs. "I don't... I don't know if that's a good idea..." 

Darren's shoulders droop and he sighs. "Yeah. I ... I've been trying to be," Darren pauses for a moment, thinking of the right word. "Romantic, I guess. I'm not very good at it obviously." He laughs at himself as he rubs the back of his neck with his hand. "I just wanted to make you feel special, that you're special to me, and that I really wanted to be with you and not casually. But... hey, it’s cool. I understand that I took too long and that's my fault. You should take Ashley, I know she'd enjoy doing that with you."

"Romantic?" Chris repeats back, staring at Darren. "... special... I don't... what are you saying? Too long for what?" 

"Chris, I want to take you on a date," Darren says, trying to be more plain this time. "I want to go on a date with you and have it just be you and me, and not have to worry about there being anyone else or it just be a casual dating thing."

Chris can't fight the smile on his face but he tries to avoid it being too ridiculously huge. "Okay. Yes, yeah. I'd like that."

Darren smiles back. "Really? You mean it?" He laughs, almost too relieved to believe it. He thought Chris wasn't interested in him. 

Chris looks down at the tickets in his hand. "This is romantic. I just - I thought you were just being nice, trying to stop my feelings from being hurt... but I just... yeah. I mean it. God, you know how I feel about you." 

Darren reaches out and cups the side of Chris' face. "I feel the ... exact same way about you," he says quietly. "I never thought about being with anyone else before, I just wanted to be with you." 

"Do you want to come in?" Chris asks, just a touch of shyness in his voice. "I was going to order up some food." 

Darren smiles. "I could. We could order in, snuggle up under the covers together." He leans in closer, arms going low around Chris' waist. "Or. We could check out those nightclubs on Canal Street? Whichever you want to do, baby. I'm happy no matter what." 

Chris rests his hand on Darren's shoulders. His skin is warm and he's intoxicating this close up. Suddenly Chris knows exactly what will happen if they stay in together, snuggling under the covers, and he's not sure he wants to move that fast. "Lets go check out the clubs," he decides. 

"Sounds great," Darren agrees. He leans in and presses a kiss to Chris lips. "Do you want to change first?"

"Yeah, okay." Chris steps back, shutting the door behind Darren. He carefully folds the tickets and puts them in his laptop bag. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll just be a minute."

"Alright." Darren bounces onto the bed and looks around, noticing there is just one vase and one bouquet of flowers left. He looks around for the others and can't seem to find any evidence of them. 

"Where did your other flowers go?" Darren asks when Chris comes out of the bathroom. 

"Oh." Chris grins. "I had a volunteer from the hospital come pick them up. A lucky two dozen in the senior ward gets flowers now, thanks to you."

Darren's smile softens. "You are such an amazing man," he says quietly. He grabs Chris' shirt and tugs him in to kiss him. 

"You're the one that sent them." Chris returns the kiss, and pulls back. The way Darren is looking at him, the soft little smile and the touch of intensity to his eyes that was never quite there before - it does things to Chris. Whereas three weeks ago what it did to Chris was make him nervous and happy and hopeful, now it makes him worry just a little. He gives Darren another soft little kiss and sighs. "We need to talk, I think. But... I'd like to just have fun with you tonight first. I've missed you."

"Absolutely." Darren takes Chris' hand, lacing their fingers together. "I'll get us a car." 

*

Canal Street is everything Darren hoped it would be. It is vibrant and busy and thriving and there are people everywhere. Darren keeps hold of Chris' hand as they wait in line for Velvet, one of the historic gay bars of the area. 

"Last time I was here, drinking was so exciting since I could do it legally... now I can back home too, so I wonder if some of the fun will be gone?" Chris feels giddy being here, hearing the accents and walking along the sidewalks and listening to the music throbbing and... the two guys dry humping against the wall... "Um. Nice scenery, too."

Darren leans in and nips Chris' earlobe. He feels high on endorphins and emotions. He has Chris on his arm and he couldn't feel better.

Chris laughs. "Are you sure you don't want to invite anyone else? You know Cory would look so awkward in a gay bar.

"I don't know. He's getting better about it." Darren slides his hand into the back of Chris' jeans pocket.

"Ashley would love this, though," Chris says. He glances over at Darren, feeling a little guilty. "But she's not your biggest fan right now, sorry."

"No, she's not," Darren agrees. "She's been vocal about that." Darren keeps Chris close as they move up in the line. "Let's not talk about her." He buries his face in Chris' neck and nuzzles there, feeling shamelessly affectionate. "Let's talk about how you always smell so fantastic."

"Darren." Chris rolls his eyes but he doesn't force Darren away. 

"No, no, I'm going to enjoy this," Darren insists, nuzzling further. "I wasn't able to do this for a few days and I have to stock up. Besides, we're in a place where no one is going to look twice at us. No one recognizes us and we're not out of the ordinary here. Just two boys, having fun with the person they want to be with."

Chris isn't sure he's going to get used to hearing Darren just say that. "Okay.”

They walk forward a bit more in the line until they're at the front. The bouncer looks them over before jerking his head in to the door and clicks off two more people into the club on his clicker. Inside it’s dark with thousands of lights going. There is a bar lit up by fluorescent neon lights along the bottom, shooting bright multi-coloured lights up onto the ceiling. There is a huge dance floor where a bunch of men are moving and dancing together and all around the club there are cages with well toned men in tight briefs dancing and moving around. 

"Wow." Darren blinks and looks around, not really expecting this. 

"Oh my god," Chris gapes and clings a little more tightly to Darren's hand. "This is insane!"

"Oh yeah it is," Darren agrees looking around more. "I think I'm gonna need some alcohol to deal with this." He drags Chris over to the bar and orders himself a whiskey and a beer for Chris. Sipping at his drink, he lets everything sink in and his eyes adjust. He can make out the men along the backwall now, pushed up close and grinding together and ... yeah, it looks like one guy is getting a blowjob from another man who is conveniently shielded by a speaker. 

Chris is left alone for three seconds while Darren twists toward the bar and in that period of time he feels a hand slide against his ass - not into his pocket but actually attempting to get into his jeans. He yelps and spins around, but the guy just grins at him and lifts an eyebrow invitingly. 

Chris shakes his head and plasters himself against Darren. 

"Hey, baby," Darren smiles happily as Chris leans in close to him. He looks past and notices the man leering at Chris and Darren throws a glare at him until the man shrugs and goes off. Darren looks back down at Chris, his look going softer. He tightens his arm around Chris and pulls him closer. 

Chris finds himself forgiving the guy for being forward when it gets him Darren all against him like that. "Jealous?" Chris whispers in his ear while they wait on the drinks. 

Darren smiles easily, "Little bit," he admits. Standing up on his toes, Darren presses a kiss to Chris’ lips, his arms still wrapped possessively around his waist. "Come on, I've spent the past few nights watching your Single Ladies dancing, knowing what those hips can do. I want to watch them up close."

"Okay, but I am not doing that dance," Chris laughs. "In fact, once this tour is over, I might put it in my contract that I can never be asked to do it again."

Darren gasps. "No!" He turns to face Chris, grabbing his hips and pulling him in. "Don't say that. I love that dance." 

"If you love it so much, you learn it," Chris shoots back, laughing. 

It feels good to laugh with Darren again. 

"Nooo," Darren says shaking his head. "No, you don't understand. I don't love to do it. I love to watch you do it." Darren runs his eyes up and down Chris' body. "I don't think you understand exactly how hard I get backstage watching your hips move like that Chris," he adds, leaning in to whisper in his ear. 

"Stop - stop looking at me like that." Chris closes his eyes, happy but overwhelmed. 

It's loud but not so loud in the spot they're in. This is what they need to talk about. Chris feels like Darren is two seconds away from seducing him right out of his pants and he only decided that he wanted to try this less than an hour ago. 

Darren makes him want to do stupid things, but Chris is the kind of guy who likes to know what he’s getting into. 

Darren blinks and pulls back, his entire body language shifting completely. "I'm... sorry did I do something wrong? I thought you wanted to do this?"

"I want to be with you. That doesn't mean I want to... I just... slow, okay?" Chris is embarrassed to have to say it. It makes him feel young and immature and inexperienced, but he also knows he won't bounce back quickly if he has sex with Darren again and then Darren changes his mind or reveals he has some sort of regular hookup in London, too, or something. 

Darren nods. "Alright, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." His hands drop from Chris' hips, no longer pulling him in real close. Darren likes sex and when he likes people, he really likes sex with them. He sometimes forgets that it is a much more complicated act for other people. "Do you still want to dance? We can go back to the hotel if you're not completely comfortable here."

"Yeah, I want to dance," Chris says, reaching out for Darren. He leans in close, filling the space Darren put between them. His tone makes it obvious he's teasing and fond when he says, "As long as you think you can dance without it leading directly to sex..." 

"You're on," Darren challenges back. He finishes off the rest of his whiskey, setting the glass on the bar, before taking Chris' hand and leading him out onto the dance floor. 

*

Darren doesn't ask any questions when Chris tells him goodnight outside the door of his hotel room. Chris knows inviting him in would be polite and he can't say that he doesn't like the idea of making out, but when he thinks about sex again he feels a tug of panic and dread. 

They'll talk, he tells himself. Soon. But for now he's happy that things are looking up for them. 

* 

Soon turns out to be the next day on the bus headed for London. The bus is much less spacious and comfortable than the previous one, and some of the cast and crew just take cars. 

Chris and Darren slip off to one of the passenger vans together and Chris can see Ashley shooting curious and probably annoyed looks his way but he ignores her and shuts the door behind him. 

Darren slides into a seat next to Chris, pressing their bodies up against each other as the car begins to move. "Hey," he says softly, smiling at him. "You okay? We still... good?"

"Of course. Sorry, I didn't answer your text this morning, it's just because I slept late. I, um... I hadn't been sleeping too well, but last night was different, I slept a little too well." Chris is relieved that no one else joined them in this van. There's the driver and one of the directors in the very front chatting amiably, and the middle seat is piled with costume boxes. 

Darren leans in and grins. "Oh yeah? Might I... take a bit of credit for that one?" He asks hopefully. It had been an early night, nothing like what they had got up to at the beginning of the tour but all the same, Darren hopes it is the beginning to something new, something more between them. 

"Yeah, you might." Chris smiles and looks over at Darren. "Maybe just a little bit."

Darren's grin goes wider. "Score." He can't help but fist pump to himself, feeling childishly giddy. 

"I did want to... talk, I guess," Chris says. They have a four hour drive ahead of them and he hadn't been planning on coming right out with it, but now that they're on the way suddenly he doesn't want to put it off. "About us. And just... I wanted to see if you could just... tell me what you're feeling about us. Exactly what's going on here from your perspective, because I didn't ask last time and I feel like I should have." 

"I feel... Like that I like you a lot and enjoy spending time with you and oh god, I am not doing those lines right now, I swear," Darren groans, dropping his head into his hands

"What?" Chris isn't really following any of that. "Is it really that hard for you to just say what you want out of a relationship?"

"Yeah, okay," Darren agrees, nodding. He settles into his seat, sinking a bit lower into the back of the van. The boxes of costumes in the seat in front of them effectively block them from any view. "I feel... Like that I like you. A lot. And I like us. A lot. And this? Yeah this is something I want to try."

"Try." Chris realizes he can't be too greedy but he's also wary of that wording. This is the hard part, for him. "I am... out. You know that. I'm out and I'm not going back in a closet. Do you want to be out, too? Is this something you've thought about or talked about with anyone?"

Darren draws in a deep breath because this... this is a big question. Reflectively, he knew it was something he'd have to deal with and talk over with Chris he just had been hoping to ignore it for longer. Darren doesn't believe in labeling himself, he doesn't like the restrictions a label gives, and something like love? That should never have restrictions. 

Sighing, Darren runs his fingers through his hair. He knows that if he goes public with Chris that he'll be labeled. He will be gay to the media and no amount of him trying to explain his hippie-dippie ideologies on pansexuality will explain it to most people. And once he labels himself, well, that’s also putting a label on his career. That is putting a ceiling on what he can accomplish and what he as an actor can achieve. 

"Honestly, Chris?' Darren starts, finally turning to look at him. "I don't know. I mean, I've never really thought about what I would do in this situation. I mean, hell, I'm usually making things up as I go along, not really a huge future planner, you know? And I like you. Like you a lot, Chris but you of all people know what being out would entail, what that would mean. For you, for us... for me. I'm not... saying no, I just need some time to think about it. Can we try this? Try being together, just us, no one else, and see where it goes first?"

It's not what Chris hoped to hear, but it's exactly what he expected to hear. "Okay. We can try, but... I can't promise you how long I'll be okay with sneaking around." He grins a little and adds, "We're kind of bad at it anyway. Someone can't keep his hands off me in clubs."

Darren grins wickedly at Chris, winking at him. "Baby, I don't think anyone can keep their hands off of you in a club." 

Chris rolls his eyes. "Amazingly, many have accomplished that. Basically everyone in my life who has ever been in a club with me besides you."

But he enjoys the flirting and he enjoys the way Darren keeps it up basically the whole ride. He's not sure he and Darren have ever had so many hours to just sit and talk uninterrupted. There's a lot of shameless flirting but there's also real conversation - about families and friends and school, with Darren dominating pleasantly to tell Chris all kinds of adventures he got up to in college. But he listens sympathetically when Chris talks about growing up, and high school and he somehow manages to make Chris laugh about things that have never seemed all that funny to him before. That really doesn't do him any favors when it comes to trying not to fall head over heels for a guy that might decide he's not worth it. 

The hours fly by and Chris finds himself actually sad when they're almost to the hotel. 


	6. Chapter 6

**London**

They're given a quick catered in lunch and shuffled off to the new venue to make sure everything is ready for the show that night. 

Darren keeps close to Chris and ignores the looks Ashley keeps sending his way. Chris is a big boy and he can decide what he wants on his own. 

The venue brings in catered food for them to eat and Darren fills up two large plates before grabbing Chris and tugging him away, slipping away to a quiet corner with him. Darren's enjoyed their conversation and he isn't in the mood to share Chris just yet. 

"Got you some food," Darren says, showing off the plate heaped with sandwiches and fries. 

"Thanks," Chris says, thriving under the attention from Darren. He's not used to Darren not being the guy flitting around trying to have conversations with everyone. It's a nice feeling. 

They eat quickly under the advisement of the people bustling around working on where the staging needed to be tweaked and double checking to see that all the costumes are there for them. 

Before long, Chris is on the middle of the stage busting out his Single Ladies and trying not to blush remembering how Darren said it made him react the night before.

Darren watches from the wings, he notices how Chris is more flirtatious than usual in the dance tonight and he needs to reach down and adjust himself. The way Chris moves his hips, working them around... Darren knows Chris has been trying to crack him all tour and Darren has held his own the entire trip but he knows just a few hip rolls from Chris would be enough to have him popping a chubby right on stage and breaking character. 

It's probably better for everyone that he's still backstage right now. 

Chris is flushed and sweaty and grinning and definitely feeling more on than he has in a long time by the end of it. 

He exchanges breathless high fives with a few people as he skids backstage, almost running straight into Darren - all decked out in Warbler garb. He tugs on Darren's lapels and winks. 

"God, you fucking tease," Darren mumbles, pushing into Chris and kissing him hard. He's careful of the makeup and the hair, knowing that neither one of them can go back onstage looking like they've been defiling each other. Still, he can't stop himself from leaning back in to flick his tongue back into Chris' mouth. "Yeah, you remember those moves later, baby."

Chris laughs and immediately goes to find a spot he can watch Darren from. Ashley slides up besides him and tries to start a conversation but he evades her. "Later, I promise." 

"Tonight?" She demands. 

"Um." Chris's eyes are on Darren. "Breakfast tomorrow?" 

Her jaw drops. "Colfer, you dog. There better be a good story behind this. It better involve groveling." 

"It involves a private tour in Buckingham palace and twenty four bouquets of flowers," Chris admits. "And a conversation." 

This time the look Ashley gives Darren is grudging admiration. "Yeah, gonna be needing all those details." 

*

Darren stays close to Chris after the show as well. They change and Darren grabs his hand, tugging it lightly. "Back... to the hotel?" He asks quietly. Darren isn't feeling like going out at all. He'd rather stay in tonight with Chris.

"Okay," Chris says. 

They get approached by a few people asking them if they want to go exploring the city and more than a few curious looks. Gossip spreads like wildfire so Chris is sure by now most of them know Chris and Darren were together and then weren't together and... well, he trusts everyone here, mostly. It's in everyone's best interest not to let anything slip out that would get the wrong kind of attention. 

The hotel is near the venue and Chris wishes they could walk, but the area will still be crawling with fans and fans aren't quite so trustworthy, so they grab a cab. 

The ride is quiet but comfortable. Darren takes Chris' hand, holding it in his own as they ride. They slip into the back of the hotel, keeping out of the main lobby and away from prying eyes as they make their way up to Darren's room. He opens the door, ushering Chris inside before shutting and locking the door behind him. 

"So, who is your roommate? I didn't even look at the roster," Chris says. He stretches out on the bed, sore from the car ride and then the show and happy to be laying down. "Please tell me whoever it is agreed to fuck off for the night." 

"Jon, but I doubt he’ll be back any time soon. He said something about crashing in Curt’s room anyway." Darren leans in and drops a kiss to Chris' lips before pulling back and smiling at him. "Aren't I lucky?"

Chris reaches out and grabs Darren's hands, tugging him forward onto the bed. "So I guess if you're already lucky, you don't need to... get any luckier?"

"Well, I didn't say that," Darren trails off. He squeezes Chris' hand and reaches out with his other to curl his hand around his hip. He holds Chris steady as he presses close and kisses him chastely. 

Chris kisses him back, smiling. "So. You wanted to stay in? Is this like a date or something? You going to keep romancing me with room service and hotel beds?" 

Darren laughs. "Well, if it works...." He drops another kiss on Chris' lips before pulling back and finding the room service menu. "Pick us something to eat and we can order a movie. Dinner and a movie and snuggling. Best goddamn date ever," he teases. 

"Somehow I doubt that, but it's all you're going to get from me tonight." Chris grabs the menu and flips through. "Curry, how does curry sound?" 

"Sounds fantastic," Darren replies. He jumps onto the bed, settling in with the remote and begins flipping through channels looking for a good pay-per-view movie to watch. 

As far as dates go, it actually is one of the better ones that Chris has been on. They watch a movie neither of them have seen while they eat and then order dessert, laughing and exchanging a few kisses. 

Chris realizes about halfway through that Darren really took what he said the previous night to heart, because he doesn't make a single move toward sex... even when Chris would be a little more receptive to it. But Chris appreciates that and it makes him a little bolder himself, without pushing a line. 

Darren keeps his arms wrapped around Chris, holding him close so that Chris' back is pressed to his front, Darren's legs bracketing Chris' much longer ones. It feels nice to just relax like this, nothing to worry about and no one to perform for. Occasionally Darren's fingers stroke over the soft skin at the top of Chris' pants but he makes no moves to push it further, content with what he has tonight. 

*

Chris wakes up in the morning to a light knocking on the door. Harry is in the other bed still out cold, so Chris forces himself up and stumbles over to the door. He's expecting Ashley - but happy to see Darren instead.

Darren is dressed, hair tamed slightly and a single daisy in hand. "I thought this might be a bit more manageable than 27 bouquets." He holds it up, offering it to Chris. "Breakfast?"

 

"Oh - I'm, yeah, I just. Clothes. I need clothes." Chris is a little embarrassed about the fact that he's just woken up now, considering Darren is fully dressed and looking amazing. "Wait out here so you don't wake Harry up, I'll be right back." 

He changes as quickly as he can while still trying to put some effort in and slips back out into the hallway. 

Darren leans back against the wall across from Chris' room, his hands in his pockets as he waits. It doesn't take Chris long and Darren slips his arm through Chris' and begins to lead him out of the hotel. "I found this little bakery not far from here, you're going to love it." 

*

The bakery is tiny and secluded, giving them a bit of privacy as they tuck themselves into a small booth in the back of the store. The coffee is fresh and hot and so are the scones. Darren makes sure to order one of each flavor, both of them sharing bites back and forth between refills of coffee. It is perhaps the best morning Darren has had this whole tour. 

*

It's just past ten when Chris gets a call from Ashley. "I'm going to have to have lunch with her," Chris says. "We need some best friend time." 

Darren lifts an eyebrow at him. 

"Yes," Chris admits, elbowing Darren a little. "To talk about you. But don't worry, I'll explain things and she'll... okay, she might not love you again but she'll call off the hit man." 

"She called a hit man out on me?" Darren raises an eyebrow. "She already physically accosted me once. I thought she was done with that. Well, thank you for protecting my person." Darren drops a light kiss to Chris' lips before standing, sliding his credit card into his wallet. "My hero." He takes Chris' hand in his as they begin their trip back to the hotel. "While you two have besties lunch, I may have to go and check out Abbey Road Studios, it shouldn't be too far from here." 

"That should be fun, and perfect for you," Chris says, smiling over at him. 

* 

His lunch with Ashley is exactly what he expects: a lot of questions from her and a lot of defending Darren from him. 

"I know what I'm doing," Chris says. "And it may not work out how I want, but at least we're both being honest with each other this time." 

"I'm just saying," Ashley says. "I mean, your boy is a little bit dense." 

Chris grins. "But he's trying." 

"Now. Before, he wasn't seeing anything wrong with his friends talking about his fuck buddy in front of you. Dense." 

"Are you trying to make me feel bad about this?" Chris snaps. 

Ashley's expression immediately softens. "You know I'm not, boo. I'm just worried for you." 

"Well, worry about me less," Chris says, taking a drink of his soda. "And talk about that roadie I heard you hooked up with more. Ash, I had to hear it from Mark, you should be ashamed..." 

* 

The concert that night is electric. Chris does his damndest to make him crack on stage but Darren holds it in until he's able to make it off the stage and behind the scenes enough before he cracks. 

"You!" He says, grabbing Chris and pulling him in. "You are ridiculous and crazy and absolutely amazing." Darren presses against Chris hard, kissing him. "Now go change, I want to see you working it." He gives Chris a wink and a swat on the ass in the direction of the dressing rooms. 

Chris is having more fun with the show in London than he has the whole tour. There are less nerves but just as much adrenaline, more laughs and less fear, less worry over Darren and how things are... 

It's good. It's a good time and when the whole cast decides to go out, Chris is excited to. He and Darren spend the night mostly together, though not to the point of ignoring everyone else, and at the end of the night Mark doesn't even say much before clapping Chris on the shoulder and saying that he already had the concierge swap their bags around a little so Chris and Darren can bunk together. 

The next day is their day off, their trip to Buckingham Palace, and Chris had been planning on trying to arrange it anyway. They’ve got almost a week here and he doesn’t see much point in spending that much of it apart. 

Chris goes over to Darren where he's talking to Dianna, walking up close enough to be intimate... and maybe a little possessive. 

Darren keeps talking to Dianna as Chris moves to stand next to him but wraps an arm around Chris' waist, pulling him in closer. He waits until Dianna is done, her attention pulled away by something else before turning to nuzzle into Chris' neck. "Hey there, sexy, what are you getting up to?"

"We're apparently roommates tonight. Mark swapped us around..." Chris flashes his new hotel room key. "Is this your doing?" 

"Maybe," Darren admits. It's not, but he, he'll take credit for it anytime. "Maybe I want the chance to go to sleep with you tonight and have a nice, lazy morning in before our private tour." He nibbles along Chris' neck and up to his jawline. "Or maybe I figured I'd need to be in the same room as you so that you didn't wake me up at 5 in the morning to make sure we were ready and prepared for our trip."

Chris laughs. "Not five. Six... maybe." 

The conversation is cut short by a small horde of people approaching. "We're going out! You two - you're coming with us." Lea points at Chris and Darren. She's more than a little tipsy, and known for being both slightly bossy and more than a little terrifying when she wants to be. 

So they listen to her, of course. They all hit a club and it's a lot like a couple of nights before, except more straight people and less privacy. Chris minds sharing Darren a lot less now that Darren seems inclined to come back to him fairly often. 

By the time they make it back to their hotel room beds, Chris feels the length of the day wearing on him. They're quiet, not drunk but buzzing just enough to make the bed feel extra nice and sleep come extra soon. 

*

Buckingham Palace is amazing, and Darren might think that Chris is a total freak for how excited he gets over every little thing but Chris doesn't even care. 

(Besides, he's pretty sure Darren finds his weirdness cute. At least he hopes so. If Darren isn't attracted to weirdness, then the relationship will definitely be short lived.)

Darren watches as Chris practically bounces from room to room, throwing any and every question he can think of at their tour guide as they look about the palace. Darren keeps a fairly steady pace behind the two of them, letting Chris keep up with the guide. Darren finds the history interesting, but more than anything he likes the look of joy on Chris' face, seeing that really makes a moment for him. Just being able to make Chris that happy with something as simple as a guided tour, it makes Darren happy just to do that. 

*

"So, I take it you liked the tour?" Darren asks as they leave the palace, shopping bags and souvenirs in hand. 

"I loved it," Chris gushes, turning and beaming at him. He steps and grabs Darren's hand, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "Is it too cliche if I tell you that I really want to do something tonight to repay you?" 

"Not cliche, no," Darren assures him. "But it really isn't necessary either." He squeezes Chris' hand and moves his fingers so he can lace theirs together. "I did this because I wanted to make you happy and I did. That's all I really need."

"Who are you and what have you done with Darren?" Chris demands, teasing. Then he drops his voice and says. "I know I don't have to... I said I want to. Unless you'd rather not..." 

"Baby, I will never turn you down," Darren says quite seriously. He leans in and captures Chris' lips in a quick kiss, glad for the cover by the buildings around them. "How fast do you think we can get a cab here..."

*

Turns out it doesn't take more than fifteen minutes to get a cab there and them to the hotel. Darren is appreciative and tips well before tugging Chris along into the elevator. He can hear some of their friends and castmates in the lobby and the hotel bar, laughing and calling out to them but Darren ignores everyone. He presses the button for their floor and then hits the door close button as he walks Chris up into the closest wall. 

"I'm glad you had fun today," he whispers quietly, pressed along Chris' body. 

Chris loops his arms loosely around Darren's neck and slumps back so they're exactly the same height. "It was amazing. Thank you for putting up with me." 

He draws a finger down the back of Darren's neck lightly to see if it'll tickle him. His mouth goes dry at the way Darren shuts his eyes and tilts his head back a little. 

"I want you to fuck me," Chris whispers, the words just kind of sparking out of him on a whim. 

"What?" Darrens eyes fly back open to stare at Chris. He's not sure he heard that quite right. "You want me to..." Darren's mouth goes dry as Chris smiles shyly but nods. "Fuck. I mean, yes, yes, god, fuck, yes--" Darren quickly snaps his mouth shut to stem the babbling on end. 

The elevator slows to a stop and the doors ding open and the two of them stumble out together. Their arms are still wrapped around each other and Darren can't stop himself from trying to kiss Chris every step. it takes some maneuvering but they're finally into their room and Darren kicks the door shut with a bang. 

"Alright then," he growls playfully, grabbing Chris and tossing him onto the bed, surprising him. Darren may be small but he's strong.

Chris laughs and squeaks a little as his back hits the bed. He wasn't expecting that, but it was hot. His laughter fades and his eyes grow wide as he watches Darren strip his clothes off. A few seconds of dumb ogling and he suddenly realizes that nudity is a mutual option and hurries to yank his own shirt over his head. 

"I don't know if this is going to make it better or worse for you," Chris says, while they strip. He leaves his underwear on - and so does Darren, at least for the moment. "But I've never bottomed before,"

"Okay, we'll take our time. Whatever feels comfortable to you." Darren crawls on the bed, leaving their underwear on for the moment. He settles himself above Chris and reaches out, drawing him into a kiss. Darren takes his time, his tongue teasing Chris' mouth open before licking into it, drawing Chris' tongue out so Darren can suck on it like a cock. By the time he pulls back, Chris is panting and writhing on the bed. 

"So gorgeous," Darren whispers, peppering his lips with softer kisses while his other hand reaches out for the bedside table where he'd stashed a few things earlier. 

"The problem is that you make everything feel comfortable," Chris says, leaning his body up to follow Darren's mouth and keep the kisses from ending. "Or... maybe that isn't a problem... mm, actually... no problem at all." 

He reaches down with one hand to squeeze his own cock, already hard and straining the tight boxer briefs he's in tonight. 

"Good." Hooking his fingers in the elastic band of Chris' boxer briefs, Darren tugs them down, watching with fascination as Chris' cock slips out, slapping his belly. He's only really half hard already. Bending his head, Darren begins to run his lips over the underside, kissing gently before taking the head into his mouth and suckling on it as if trying to feed from it. 

"Oh, god." Chris sinks his fingers into Darren's hair and groans, cock getting hard in Darren's mouth. "I thought - oh, god, Darren - I thought I was the one doing something nice for you tonight..." 

Darren gives a hard suck before he pulls off of Chris cock. "You don't have sex with someone to be nice, Chris," he says, sitting back on his heels. "And I certainly don't want the first time I fuck you just to be you feeling you "owe" me something." 

Chris bites his lip and grins at Darren. "You are adorable when you're being chivalrous, has anyone ever told you that?" He sits up and reaches for Darren, pulling him in close enough for a kiss that their chests press together. "I don't feel like I owe you anything, I feel like you gave me a fantastic day and I got to share it with you so now I want to have a fantastic night that we share, too. Also, I'm horny as hell and you're kind of... addictive..." 

Chris' hand rubs down Darren's stomach to cup his cock through his underwear, feeling it twitch at the touch.  
Darren grins. "Good enough for me." He jerks his hips up into Chris' hand before sliding it down his thighs and then off, leaving both of them blessedly naked on the bed. 

"How do you want to do this, Chris? It's easier if you're on your knees but I didn't know if you'd rather watch on your back?" Darren doesn't care either way, he just wants Chris to feel as comfortable as possible. 

Chris is about to answer when the mirror on the back of the bathroom door catches his eye. "Both," he says, and turns to settle on his hands and knees facing the foot of the bed... and the mirror. "Like this." 

"Sexy and smart," Darren compliments. He gently pushes at Chris’ shoulders, pushing him down onto the bed before crawling behind him. He opens up Chris' knees, making his stance wider and his hole open slightly. "There we go," Darren encourages. Leaning in, he pulls Chris' cheeks apart and begins to tongue his ass. He runs the tip of his tongue over the rim, teasing and dipping it in and out over and over until Chris is wet and shaking in Darren's arms. 

Darren pours lube onto his fingers and begins to stretch Chris. One finger goes in easily and he moves on to two, slipping just the tips in and working them around, stretching him open. 

Chris isn't a fan of looking at himself and he feels more comfortable with his eyes closed as they start, so he doesn't resist the impulse to shut them. His mouth drops open and he starts to make little sounds - breath catching, the tiniest of grunts as Darren fingers him until he's stretched enough that he shudders and says, "Now." 

Then he opens his eyes - he wants to see the look on Darren's face as he pushes in. 

Darren nods and grabs for the condom. Ripping it open, his fingers fumble slightly before he's able to breathe enough to roll it on and lube himself. He places a steadying hand on Chris' hip before checking, "Ready?" 

He see's Chris' nod and he begins to push forward. There is some resistance but Darren keeps his movements steady and soon he pushes past the ring of muscle and into Chris. 

It is so tight, so unbelievably tight and unbearably hot. Darren thrusts forward, hips jerking as he moans, happy. He feels so fucking good inside Chris. 

"You look so good..." Chris whines and tries to focus on that and wait for the ache of being penetrated to dull down. It takes less time than he expected it would. The hurt doesn't exactly go away but it stops being so bad, more of a burning stretch. It's a fascinating, thrilling thing to bear down around something inside of him, too... especially given the way Darren looks punched in the gut when Chris does it. 

He rocks back experimentally to see how Darren likes that. 

"Christ--" Darren chokes out, scrambling to breath and relax and not lose it right there inside of Chris. "Fucking warn a guy..." He takes another deep breath before trying an experimental thrust forward. He keeps an eye on how Chris is doing as he begins to thrust a bit harder and a bit faster. 

Chris drops down until his elbows are on the bed, ass thrust up into the air where Darren is fucking it, and reaches underneath himself to try and jerk off. It feels good but it's a low pulse of pleasure, not the high sharp tension he needs to really come. His mind is too distracted with Darren and his body is too distracted with being fucked for the first time to really give him the concentration he'd need to get off while Darren is inside of him. 

But that's almost better, in a way, because he doesn't feel like he's missing out on getting the experience - and he's sure Darren will give him a hand once he's finished.

Darrens fingers curl around Chris' hips, nails digging into the fleshy part just above his hip bones. His own hips slapping lewdly against Chris' ass with each thrust forward. "Fuck, Chris, fuck--" Is all Darren is able to say as he looks down and watches Chris' ass swallow his cock. 

"You like it?" Chris asks, not trying to sound seductive but unable to stop how breathless he sounds. 

"So good, so fucking good, oh baby--" Darren chokes out, hand slipping on Chris hip and coming down hard on Chris' backside. "Oh fuck, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry--"

"Ohmygod," Chris jolts forward, fingers curling into the blanket. He's not positive if he wants Darren to do that again right now, but it's definitely something he's open to maybe trying later, on purpose. He tries to laugh but it turns into a low, drawn out moan when their angle slips and Darren starts to hit a spot in front of him that feels even more weird, but definitely good-weird. 

"Jesus fucking Christ, baby, you feel so good." Darren bends in half, pressing his face into the back of Chris' neck and just moaning. "So good baby, so fucking good." His arms wrap around Chris' chest as he covers his back, his hips slapping hard and pushing up with each thrust. 

Chris can feel the sweat on his skin and faint aches where Darren is grabbing him so hard but none of that is anything compared to how much he loves this, feeling Darren inside of him.

"So close, baby, so, so close-- gonna--" Darren groans right by Chris ear as his hips jerk hard. He thrusts into Chris two more times, shoving in hard on the last one and crying out loudly as he spills into the condom. 

 

Chris loves the way Darren collapses against him after he's come. He reaches back with one hand and grabs Darren's. "That felt so good," he says, because he hadn't come - or even gotten close to it - but it still felt good. He feels connected to Darren and... not at all unhappy with deciding to trust Darren with this. 

Darren is sluggish but nuzzles into the back of Chris' neck. "You were amazing," he says, pressing a kiss to the skin. His hands slide down Chris' body, finding his cock and he quickly begins to stroke him. He moves quickly, flicking his wrist and pumping like he remembers watching Chris do to himself. 

"Fuck." It feels good, but almost an overload of stimulation. He's too close too fast and he has that feeling of being strung too tight. He puts a hand on Darren's wrist to stop him. "Need to move." 

He stretches out on the bed and pulls Darren down beside him, guiding Darren's hand back to his cock. 

Darren goes where Chris needs him, pumping his cock hard and fast again. "Come for me. Come on, come for me, Chris. Want to see you come, oh god, yeah do it for me, baby."

"Kiss me," Chris says, desperately pressing his mouth against Darren's while he cries out, toes curling and gut clenching. He comes hard, shooting halfway up his chest and even a little bit streaked over his nipple. 

Darren strokes Chris' cheek as he lets Chris come down from his high. "There you go," he says softly. "Good, so good. Look at you, perfect messy boy." He runs a hand over Chris' chest, fingers swiping up the stray bit of come there. 

Chris laughs weakly and reaches for Darren's hand. "Buckingham Palace and orgasms. Today really was the perfect day." 

"Mm, next time maybe we'll combine them." Darren waggles his eyebrows at Chris, holding on to him. "It was perfect." Darren drops another kiss on Chris' lips before sliding out of the bed. He goes to the bathroom, dropping off the condom and grabbing a washcloth. He runs it under the tap, warming it up before going back to bed. He takes some time running it over Chris' body, cleaning off his chest before rolling Chris onto his stomach. Darren runs the cloth over his ass, slipping it in between his cheeks to clean off the lube. 

Finishing, he tosses the cloth onto the floor and curls back up around Chris. 

It's weird to Chris, being cleaned off like that, but he lets Darren take care of him. "Thanks," he says, snuggling into Darren. 

 

"Of course," Darren whispers back. He kisses the top of Chris' head and holds him close as they both begin to slip off to sleep. 

*

The more Darren spends time with Chris, the more he wants to stay there. He loves how well they fit together, how they can talk about anything at all and that just being around each other makes things better (Darren hasn't slept so well since he started sleeping in Chris' bed). Despite his comments to Chris earlier that he wanted some time to think about what this would mean, Darren knows what his choice is. He knows how this is going to work out and taking anymore time is just a waste. He wants to say something, he wants to make a gesture to Chris, something big and bold that reassures him that he wants to be with Chris and wants people to know. 

The last night in London, as Chris tries so hard to crack him on stage, Darren gets an idea. 

*

"I don't wanna go," Chris whines, packing up his suitcase. 

London has been a weird little bubble of sightseeing and basking in his favorite city in the world and spending a week in odd but oddly fitting domesticity with Darren, claiming a hotel room for themselves and staying there the whole rest of their time together. 

By now everyone with them knows that they got over their rough patch, but they haven't talked any more privately about themselves as a couple. Chris is giving it until the end of the tour and they're back in California.

He's also determined to break his normal patterns and not stress over it too much until then. At worst it's a summer fling he has a few weeks to get over before filming starts again, and at best... well, the best is what he tries to avoid most because it'll just make the letdown even harder. 

"I know, baby, me either," Darren agrees. He leans over the suitcases to kiss him. "But I have a feeling Dublin will be interesting. It won't be London but..." He shrugs, shooting Chris a smile. He wants this to go perfectly as he'll only have one shot at it and he wants it to make an impression. "It will definitely be something." 

  


**Dublin**

The plane trip over is uneventful though bumpy, their group arriving in Dublin under their frequent cloudy, rainy skies. There is a quick trip to the hotel to drop off their suitcases and then on to the venue. 

It's so close to their last show and the air is electric with it. The stretch of exhaustion and homesickness has waned with the light at the end of the tunnel, so everyone is on. 

"Plans for tonight?" Chris asks, leaning his head against Darren's shoulder while they sit watching Lea run through one of her numbers. 

"Plans for after tonight," Darren replies back. He turns his head slightly to nuzzle at the side of Chris'. "Plans that involve you and me and a bottle of champagne." He presses a kiss to his lips. "Sound good to you?"

Darren is planning that everything goes well. He's hoping that his stunt later won't cause any backlash and that they can both celebrate together in the hotel room Fox has paid for. 

"I did promise Ashley I'd have dinner with her," Chris says. "I don't think it was just her but I didn't catch who else was going. If you want to come..." 

"Yeah, I'm good, I'll go," Darren agrees. "Come on, we have our scene coming up now." Darren nudges at Chris as they get ready to take the stage. 

* 

That night dinner is loud, loud and crazy with a good portion of the cast turning up for their last meal before their last show. They take out an entire back room in a tiny Irish pub where the lights are low and the whiskey keeps flowing. Darren is curled into the back of a booth, watching Dianna and Mark talk over who has the best roadie stories. 

"I liked your t-shirt today," Darren comments, wrapping his arm closer around Chris. 

Chris smirks. "Did you now? I was hoping you'd notice..." It hadn't taken much to coerce an assistant into running out and having it made, and the audience response was worth every penny of it. 

"Mmhm." Darren takes a nice long drink of his whiskey, enjoying where Chris is curled up in between his legs, against his chest like they had been the other night for their movie date. "You still have it?" He whispers into Chris' ear. 

"Yes," Chris whispers back. "Do I even want to know why you're asking?" 

"I would like to see you tonight. In that shirt ... and those tiny red briefs of mine you stole." Darren nips at Chris' earlobe before soothing over it with his tongue. Just the image of Chris like that gets him interested. 

"Oh, god. That can't be as sexy as you act like it," Chris says, snorting indelicately. He reaches down and starts to absently rub Darren's thigh. 

"You completely underestimate how sexy you are, baby." Darren noses at the soft spot right behind Chris' ear, his hair tickling at Darren's nose. "Especially to me. And if you don't know, well, you should be able to feel..."

Chris wiggles a little bit and then grins. "Still, t-shirt and briefs? That would make me feel like a five year old. And please don't say you want me to call you daddy, because no." 

Darren laughs. "No, no. Please don't call me that. That makes me feel like a pervy old man. I don't like that." 

"Don't call him what?" Dianna asks, sliding into the booth across from them. 

Chris is just drunk enough to answer, "Daddy." 

"Oh!" Dianna's face lights up. "Is this a kinky sex conversation?"

Darren shrugs. "It can be. We can make it a kinky sex conversation. What's your favorite position, Dianna?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows. 

"Reverse cowgirl," she replies without batting an eyelash. "What about yours?"

Chris slides his fingers against Darren's and then holds his hand properly, interlocks and grasping. "Oh, I'm dying to hear that one." 

"Well, I have two," Darren admits. "I like to be on the bottom, watch them move on top, like to see what they like to do up there. But then... I also really like to be on top of them, have them laying down on their stomach, legs spread open and hips up just enough for me to be able to push into them..." Darren looks over at Chris and winks. 

Chris squeezes Darren's thigh now, feeling the hard muscle under his fingers. "I think my preference depends on the person I'm with. Lately I'm fond of positions where I can see their face..." 

Dianna looks all too intrigued by the response. "Well, I guess that's true, I've definitely slept with some guys I was fine not seeing face to face the whole time... I mean, it's awful to be in the middle of it and it's getting good and then suddenly they look like they're sucking on a lemon. Or snarling like some kind of jungle cat because they think it's sexy. I'm sorry, but no." 

"What's sexy is when they're just really into it," Chris says. "Not trying to look any certain way... just... in the moment." 

"But not so in the moment that they aren't trying to keep you in the moment, too," Dianna adds. "Right, Darren?"

"You need a generous lover," Darren agrees. "Everyone needs one of those." He shrugs and makes himself comfortable. "I mean, that's really more than half the fun, right? Being able to be intimate with that person you care about and finding the things that really turn them on." He eyes Chris and then looks at Dianna. "I mean, some are just out for their own, you know? But if you get a good guy..." Darren shrugs and shoots her a grin. "Yeah that's the fun part is just getting to see the responses."

Dianna is smirking at both of them. "A good guy, hmm?" 

Chris tugs Darren's arm more securely around him and plays with the hair just above Darren's wrist. "I think I found one." 

Darren beams at Chris. "I like to hope I am," he agrees, nudging his shoulder against Chris's. "Seemed you agreed the other night too." He shoots Dianna a wink and she just laughs. 

"Has anyone ever told you how bad you are at being subtle?" Chris asks. He kind of likes it, though. He knows that the more people that know the worse it'll be if Darren decides it isn't worth it, but... there's something so fun about having someone. And someone that everyone else knows is his someone. 

Grinning, Darren leans in closer to Chris. "I'm not a subtle kind of guy," he teases back. "Besides I don't think anyone here is under any allusions here." 

"Don't remind me," Chris says. "Luckily you're so cute." 

"Okay, I'm getting cavities from you two," Dianna announces. "I'm sure I can find a willing dance partner somewhere out there..." 

"If you can't, I'll dance with you," Chris promises. "As long as it's not to Beyonce." 

"Oh but it's so fun." Dianna winks back at Chris before sliding out, leaving them alone together. 

"Now it is just you and me," Darren whispers into Chris' ear. He tightens his grip around Chris waist, snuggling him in closer. 

"So." Chris leans his head back against Darren's shoulder. "Are you happy to be going home soon? Only one show left."

"I've.... enjoyed seeing new places. Always love performing in front of an audience too," Darren admits. "But. I'll enjoy a bit of time off, to relax finally. Maybe have some time for... us...?"

Chris laughs. "You know I'm filming a movie with the rest of my summer, right? And I have a book to finish writing. I'm not sure how much relaxation I'll really be doing."

"We could take a day. Or a weekend," Darren suggests. He has his own litany of things he's going to need to work on with the tour finished but he is hoping that he can squirrel Chris away in bed for at least two days and relax and really take some time together. 

"Maybe," Chris says, evading it. He hasn't exactly told Darren that once they get home he's going to need an answer on going public or not but he also doesn't want to commit to anything. 

"Well, I'll be sure to try and convince you." Darren begins to nibble on the tendon in Chris' neck, up and down before nuzzling behind his ear. He is feeling particularly affectionate and the alcohol is helping to lower his already weak filters. 

"Ohhhkay," Chris says, leaning forward. He keeps hold of Darren's hands and pulls him up, too. "I think maybe time to go back to the hotel." 

Darren laughs but lets Chris lead him out of the booth. They don't have to worry about the tab, thanks to the generous pockets of producers, but they do stop and say goodbye to approximately two dozen people. Darren's the one that really holds them up, leaving Chris more often than not to hang back and just watch fondly as Darren strikes up conversations with everyone and never seems to realize how much time is passing until Chris either gently urges him on or the person realizes Chris is waiting. 

Eventually they're out onto the street. "Walk or cab?" Chris asks. It's really safer to catch a ride but the hotel isn't too far away and Chris feels like he hasn't seen much of Dublin at all. Not like the few blocks counts as quality sightseeing, but it's something. 

"It's not a bad night. Let's walk," Darren decides. They strike out, hands brushing against each other as they walk close together. 

“Not bad at all.” Chris looks over at Darren, smiling. Moonlight stroll along the sidewalk with a guy he’s crazy about? Yeah, could be worse. 

"It's pretty here," Darren says, looking at a few of the buildings as they walk past. He'd love to be able to come back at some point, take a much longer European vacation now that he's at a spot he can monetarily do things he couldn't when he was in college. 

"At some point I'm coming back here," Chris says. "Some time when we're not filming and I can take a few weeks, and I have nothing else going on. Maybe on the heels of my first national bestseller or blockbuster movie. Or once Glee is over and I'm resigned to being type cast as the flaming homo best friend in roles that require me to show up two days a month to film." 

The first two are total pipe dreams, of course, but it's fun to pretend. The latter is much more likely. 

"It would," Darren agrees. He leans in and kisses Chris lightly, just a brief brush of the lips. Quiet or not, they are still out in public and Darren doesn't want anything to happen before tomorrow night. "Come on, lets go back to the hotel and celebrate our last night of the tour."

* 

They celebrate so thoroughly and intensely that Chris is sore the next morning. It's a pleasant kind of sore, a feeling he could get used to more often. 

Just like he could get used to the way Darren is draped over him, snoring a little and totally out of it. His mouth is slack and his hair is a mess, still kept short for Blaine-esque styling but trying it's best to curl in every direction. 

Chris runs his fingers through Darren's hair and leans over to kiss him awake, not even caring about the sour breath. "Come on, sleepyhead," he whispers. "We slept through breakfast, so if we want lunch we need to get up."

"Mm, stay," Darren mumbles, nuzzling into Chris' neck. He continues to curl himself completely around Chris, not letting him get out of bed just yet. It's warm and the sun is coming in just right and Darren likes how it feels to be wrapped up in sheets and Chris. 

Chris scratches down his back. "Come on. We can sleep on the flight back tomorrow." 

Really it's just that Chris is awake and he doesn't want to get up and leave without Darren. 

Darren grunts and moves, finally pulling himself up to a sitting position. "Shower together?" He asks hopefully. It will take twice as long but its worth it to him to be able to have Chris wet and sudsy and at his fingertips. 

"Well, since you offered..." Chris gives Darren a kiss on the cheek and then slips out of bed, looking over his shoulder. "Hey, you're not getting out of bed. Did the sight of my naked ass stupefy you that much?" 

"More like render me incapable of moving now," Darren groans back. He reaches down to adjust himself, his cock starting to wake up and pay attention. "Or maybe I have just enough left in me..." He jumps out of bed and chases after Chris, running after him into the bathroom and grabbing his ass. He hauls him in close, rubbing his half hard cock up against Chris' hip and grinning to himself. 

"We still have a bit of time before lunch," Darren assures Chris as he finds the knobs on the shower and turns them on. 

*

"And where were you two?" Lea asks once they hit the lobby downstairs. 

Chris just grins at her. He's not about to give her the truth - shower frottage and then a blowjob afterward - but his expression surely gives away the general point of it. 

"Mhm. Thought so." She wages her finger at them. "My poor little baby innocent Colfer isn't such an innocent anymore, is he? Darren, what have you done..." 

"Lea!" He ducks away from her when she tries to pinch his cheeks. "I will have you know I've not been an innocent for a couple years now. And Darren had nothing to do with it when it did happen."

"Yeah and that is such a shame," Darren agrees, sighing and shaking his head. "The things I could have done to an innocent Colfer..." 

Lea squeaks and Chris' cheeks turn even more red but Darren just grins and takes his hand. "Besides, I think I've taught him a thing or two this trip." 

"Or maybe I taught you a thing or two," Chris shoots back. "I mean. The mirror thing? That was all me." 

Lea is actually jumping up and down shrieking. "You're a little kinkster! Oh my god Cory, you have to come listen-" 

"No, he doesn't," Chris says. 

And at the same time Cory looks between them and says, "No, I don't." 

"Fake brothers man," Cory insists. "I don't need to know what my fake brother is doing with him." Lea just rolls her eyes and slips her arm in his. 

Darren follows suit, taking Chris' arm as the four of them head towards the hotel's restaurant. "You did teach me more than just a thing or two," Darren whispers into Chris' ear. "Definitely a little kinkster." 

"But I think I've still got a lot to learn," Chris says. He winks at Darren. "And hopefully I know someone willing to be patient and let me try things out..." 

"Oh I bet I can find a guy who is willing to let you play with him and try a few things on his person," Darren agrees. There is a brief fluttering feeling in his chest, quick but definitely there, telling him that he's making the right choice with this. 

"Well," Chris says, smiling. "Lucky me." 

* 

The crowd at the concert that night is insane. It's the last show and everyone wants to make it count, to make those lasting memories. 

Chris is no exception. He sneaks off for half an hour and manages to write what he thinks is a stunning literary masterpiece - or at least enough to make Darren lose his shit. He tucks it away into his pocket and briefly goes over what he thinks will work well on stage in the privacy of the bathroom. He doesn't rehearse it too much; he'll just end up changing it last minute. It's not exactly improv, but he kind of is - he just lets Kurt take over. Kurt can say and do a great many things with absolutely no shame or humility that Chris himself wouldn't dream of. 

Darren tries to keep calm and relaxed. He hangs with Harry and Mark, joking around with them and goofing off backstage, anything to keep his mind off of what he is going to do tonight. It's a huge step, one that he hopes Chris won't mind him making. Not to mention his manager and publicist are going to be upset that he hadn't told them or given them a heads up about anything. Darren doesn't want to, he doesn't want the chance to have someone try to talk him out of it or downplay what will happen. 

*

As soon as Darren steps on the stage, the noise of the crowd sets his adrenalin pumping. He can feel the electricity in the crowd and it just feeds his energy. Everyone is on point in a way they've never been before and it is catching. 

Chris finds himself a little emotional throughout a few parts, but not because he'll miss the performing - just the freedom of this, the hectic but fulfilling pace, experiencing it all with some of the people he loves most in the world. 

That's driven home most of all as he reads his poem out in front of Darren, giddy and outlandish but vibrating with a very real and much more serious sort of feeling. He has to laugh, to be goofy, to make an idiot out of himself because if he doesn't channel himself into that he's not sure what he'll do. 

And then he finishes and he's flopped out on the ground and Darren is standing in front of him looking slightly nervous and insisting he get to his feet. Chris's heart starts to pound and this is _so_ off the script but he gets to his feet. 

Chris' poem is ridiculous and Darren loves it. It just further proves how absolutely amazing Chris' brain and his writing are. 

"Come on, stand up," Darren urges. He hadn't expected Chris to go flopping onto the ground, vamping like only Kurt Hummel can. It takes a bit more convincing until Darren has Chris on his feet in front of him. His heart is pounding so hard Darren can't believe Chris can't hear it, even with the crowd. 

"Kurt," he starts, turning to look at Chris. "You had me at Emmy." He wraps his hands around Chris' face, holding onto him as he leans in and kisses him hard. His fingers curl into the back of Chris' hair, holding him close possessively until he jerks back, the ringing sound of the audience in his ears. 

Chris doesn't even kiss back. He doesn't have time and he's too thoroughly shocked to scrape together the brain cells for that kind of response. 

Darren just kissed him - in front of thousands of people, all with cameras. He stumbles back a little and it's not even really an act.

Darren just watches Chris. He knows what he did is going up onto the internet as they currently speak. There is no going back from that. 

He finds, he doesn't want to go back on it. 

Somehow, the two of them finish their dialogue, Darren isn't sure how. He doesn't even remember what happens after he kissed Chris until they're stumbling backstage. Mark slaps Darren on the back and there is a lot of shouting and a lot of comments but Darren can only focus on Chris. 

Chris whirls around and looks at Darren with wide eyes. "You just - oh my god, do you know what you just did?" 

Darren smiles softly, reaches out and pulls Chris in. "Kiss you in front of thousands of people who no doubt have it up and all over the internet by now?" He nods. "Yeah, yeah I did."

"And it... does it..." Chris stops and clears his mind, not wanting his words to run away with him. "Was that Kurt and Blaine?" 

Darren just watches him, smiling. "No."

"And you just kissed me in front of everyone. You know what people will say, right?" Chris knows that Darren knows, he just wants to hear it said. He grabs both of Darren's hands, paying no attention to the people rushing around them. 

"That I love you and I'm dating you and that we are forever their OTP?" Darren asks, his mouth breaking into a huge smile. "Because that's what I'm going to be saying."

"... you love me?" Chris grins so hard his face hurts. He leans in and kisses Darren messily and desperately. "You love me?" 

"Yeah, maybe just a bi--" Darren tries to answer but its cut off again by Chris' lips on his. He mumbles, fumbling and trying to kiss Chris back. 

"I love you, too," Chris says. "I'm - I'm so in love with you." 

They've definitely got a small audience and there will definitely be hell to pay with with all of the people whose jobs will be made harder by this, but there's no room inside Chris to care about either thing right now. He's too full of what he's feeling when he looks at Darren to worry about anything else.  


Darren can hear cheering around them but Darren doesn't care. He reaches out and pulls Chris back into him, kissing Chris hard. "I want to be with you. I want this," he says into the kiss. 

Chris has never heard anything more perfect in his life. "Then you have it.”


End file.
